A Phoenix in Exile
by M.Savage
Summary: The Second Wizarding War has ended, but Harry Potter still has much to discover about his life and family. Post-DH HP/GW RW/HG OC AU
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Greetings Harry Potter Readers. I not unlike most on this site were not satisfied with the end result of DH and thus have decided to take a stab at writing my own HP FF. My first attempt fared somewhat better than I expected, however now with more time available to me I am re-launching my fic. For readers who tuned in for version 1, there will be significant differences between the two, but I think they are for the best.

P.S. Sadly all I own are the thoughts in my own head; I am only borrowing JK Rowling's world for use in my story. Any additional characters are my own creation and cannot be copied or used without my consent.

_Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon  
Who is already sick and pale with grief_

_William Shakespeare, 'Romeo and Juliet'_

**A Phoenix in Exile**

_Chapter 1:_

_A Prelude to an Interlude_

**Hogwarts Castle**

**May 3****rd****, 1998 **

**4:00 GMT**

Earlier that night, what would later be known in Magical Britain as 'The Second Wizzarding War,' came to an end as Harry Potter, 'The Chosen One,' and 'The Boy-Who-Lived,' destroyed Lord Voldemort once and for all.

Victory though, came at a cost, for many noble souls who opposed Voldemort and his followers were not able to bear witness to the hour they had ultimately gave their lives for.

Within the halls of Hogwarts Castle, the courageous witches, wizards, and creatures who stood beside Harry Potter were resting, mostly with tear stained cheeks and bruised bodies, but nonetheless had all succumbed to a peaceful slumber. Yet, Harry Potter was not among them..

_He could see the flames around him, enveloping the tall grass of the all too familiar meadow. A sinister and arrogant laugh echoed above the crackling flames that illuminated the pitch black sky. _

_ Hope seemed all but lost, he had failed to bring peace and order, and more were dead essentially by his hand. _

Harry awoke with a start. His breathing had quickened, heart racing and his forehead was drenched in a cold sweat. After taking a second in his upright position to calm down, he looked at his watch lying on the nightstand.

Confirming the early hour displayed on his timepiece by noting the lack of light outside, Harry gave out a frustrated sigh. Placing his head back on his pillow he tried to get himself back to sleep, but to no avail. Finally after several minutes, he admitted defeat and swung out of the four-poster bed and walked into the adjacent lavatory clad only in his worn our boxers and trademark spectacles. Looking into the mirror revealed a grungy looking young man staring back at him with a weathered face and an even skinner than normal physique.

_'No doubt Mrs. Weasley will ensure I do a healthy share of eating when she sets her eyes on me' _Harry thought, chuckling to himself as he recalled her oft repeated complaint about him being too skinny in his head. After taking off his glasses, Harry got the shower started and took the opportunity to soak up the hot water and clean his grimy body.

Following the extended shower, Harry threw on some clothes and made his way out of the dormitory. He descended the spiral staircase of the Boys Dormitory, through the Common Room, and into the corridors of Hogwarts. For this early morning stroll he didn't bother donning his Invisibility Cloak or taking the Marauder's Map with him. No, this journey was above any fear of being caught.

He exited the castle and walked through the front lawn of the castle, where the battle took place. Although the bodies of the deceased had been brought into the Great Hall last night, the smell of death still lingered in the early morning air. Harry gazed up at the moon, a brilliant Full Moon was setting over the Western Horizon, yet its faint golden light provided all the guidance he needed.

He arrived to the spot where his battle with Voldemort had taken place the previous evening. Crouching down, he felt the soft grass covered in its early morning dew, and his thoughts raced back to the events from the previous year. Beginning with his, Ron and Hermione's hasty departure from the Burrow after Bill and Fleur's wedding, to the hunt for Voldemort's Horcruxes, and finally culminating with the final battle in which dozens of honorable people gave their lives for the ultimate cause. The physical toll of the past several months caught up with Harry at that moment, for his legs began to ache.

"Ahhhh" he grimaced in pain as he sat down on the wet grass. He turned back to castle, and noted the exterior damage. Several windows were shattered, battlements and towers scarred with missing stone and burn marks, and finally noting the destroyed front corner of the castle which had caved in after being hit repeatedly with errant spells.

'_Castles can be rebuilt in a week'_ Harry thought, _'Yet the lives he shattered will take much longer to heal'_ He through begrudgingly not even naming the evil culprit responsible for the death and destruction of the Magical World as Harry once knew it.

Glancing in the direction of the Gryffindor Common Room, Harry could just barely make out a silhouette standing at the window. Not putting much stock into his faint observation, he turned back towards the lake and let his mind continue to attempt to make some sense of what had happened over the last several hours.

After several minutes, Harry stood up slowly, doing his best not to further aggravate his sore body, and felt the warm spring breeze flow over him. At this moment, he looked out over the horizon to the East where the first rays of sunlight were emerging from the tall peaks of the nearby mountains. It was the second most beautiful thing Harry Potter had ever laid eyes on, and it was for a moment like this why he fought relentlessly to end Voldemort's reign of terror, destruction, and death.

Faintly, Harry's nostrils picked up a familiar scent, of lilac and strawberries, and he realized that the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his life was approaching. Upon feeling her hand on his shoulder, his heart melted, and his body ascended into pure ecstasy. In one fluid motion he turned around and envealoped her into a searing, passionate, and loving kiss which at that moment expressed his love and desire for her more than any words ever could have.

Upon reaching a point where neither one could breathe, both pulled back out of the kiss and stared into each others' eyes. Within that moment, the sun had risen to a point just above the mountains where it illuminated her hair into a magnificent golden red halo, which only magnified her beauty and intensified Harry's desire to never leave her side again. Reaching out to grab her hand, they descended to sit on the lawn.

"Hey," Harry emitted, breaking the silence between them.

"Hey," Ginny replied weakly.

"Ahhhh!" Harry exclaimed in pain, his face stinging from the slap Ginny place across his now redden cheeks.

"DO YOU KNOW WHAT I DID EVERY NIGHT FROM WHEN YOU LEFT THE BURROW IN AUGUST ALL THROUGH THIS MORNING?" Ginny shouted at him in anger. "I CRIED FOR YOU HARRY! I THOUGHT ON TENS OF NIGHTS THAT YOU HAD DIED! I SAW WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A HAPPY LIFE WITH YOU AND ME DESTROYED BY A MONSTER WHO STOLE SO MUCH FROM YOU…..FROM me…." Ginny trailed off as she succumbed to the tears streaming down her face. Harry embraced her, pulling her into a tight hug.

"Gin…I" Harry started

"No," Ginny interrupted, "I had to hold and comfort children some as young as 11 who were abused by the Carrows and living in fear of Voldemort every day all the while not loosing my composure," Ginny replied though sniffles, "Harry, I had to be strong, otherwise who would there have been to hold the school together? We all had to suffer through so much every minute of every day that it tore my soul apart." Ginny said though tears

"Ginny please let me…."Harry started

"And then when I saw Hagrid carry your limp body back up from the forest, I couldn't hold it together anymore, I couldn't bear the thought of seeing you like that. Seeing Voldemort win, gleeful of your death, I….." Ginny faltered as she continued crying.

For the next few minutes all Harry could do was hold the young woman that he loved with all his heart and soul close and try to comfort her as she recounted the horrors she and her peers faced this past year at Hogwarts. Finally when it seemed she had calmed down a bit, Harry released her.

"Ginny please look at me," Harry pleaded. Ginny brought her face out of his now tear stained t-shirt and looked into his eyes.

"Ginny," Harry began weakly, "When I went to face Voldemort, knowing that he would kill me, I wasn't strong, I was faltering, I didn't think I could bring myself to face my own death. But when I was under the Invisibility Cloak, I saw you comforting a girl on the grass over there," He pointed back towards the castle.

"When I saw you, I wanted to run for you, take off the cloak and kiss you, place my love on you. Yet, I couldn't for I knew it would lead you into more harm and potentially…death." Harry confessed to her, faltering on the last word.

"Ginny, I walked toward the forest knowing that if I died and the war ended, at least you would have a chance, a chance to live a life and not be a victim of Voldemort's hatred." Harry finished brushing the hair out of Ginny's tear stained face.

As he finished his impassioned declaration to the woman he loved so dearly, Harry himself began to break down and cry. Soon, Ginny followed suit, and the young couple could only hold each other as they cried.

"I love you Harry Potter." Ginny managed to say between sobs.

"I love you Ginny Weasley." Harry issued as he tried to regain his composure, "And I swear to you, I'll never leave you again."

And at that moment, the sun's light now filled the morning sky casting a brilliant light over the tranquil lake. The dazzling spectacle of colors above them was the perfect backdrop for Harry and Ginny to affirm their passionate love for each other. After one more long, tender, and passionate kiss, they turned to face the lake, hands firmly intertwined, with Ginny's head resting on Harry's shoulder.

Looking through his telescopic sight, mounted on his M4 rifle, in prone position atop the Hogs Head, a battle hardened soldier observed the entire scene between the two teens. Smiling and pumping a fist in the air in celebration, he propped himself up and descended the stairs from the roof to the second floor apartment of the Hog's Head. Looking into the open wardrobe he saw his formal Army Green Service Uniform.

Thinking it the most appropriate garment for to war for the task at hand, he wasted no time in donning it. Looking in the mirror to ensure he was dressed properly he approached the fireplace and tossed a clump of Floo Powder into the hearth.

A/N: Well folks I hope you liked my revised edition so far. I think this will be better than my first attempt although I must warn you that since I am now going for my MBA/JD updates will be a bit scarcer. Please review guys and gals so that I know you're reading this stuff. Thanks for reading!

Oh and P.S. I am proud to have Scott Brown as a Senator from the state of my birth. GO SCOTT BROWN!


	2. Sinking In

A/N: I first want to say thanks for those who reviewed the first chapter. I was glad to see my inbox fill up with story alert and favorites notifications from lots of people. Thank you so much for the support, I only hope I can continue to earn your eyes' attention every so often. Once again I own nothing except the characters I create.

_It is worthwhile to live  
and fight courageously  
for sacred ideals…- Norbert Capek_

**A Phoenix in Exile**

_Chapter 2:_

_Sinking In_

**Hogwarts Castle**

**May 3****rd****, 1998 **

**7:30 GMT**

The air surrounding Hogwarts was crisp and calm underneath a clear blue sky, which reflected the feeling of restored tranquility to Wizarding Britain. Although things were still far from returning to normal for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, or those who occupied it, the calm weather was a comforting indication that things were 'on the mend'. While the occupants of the castle were just beginning to sir, courtesy of the smell of food being prepared by the Hogwarts House Elves, two were already wide awake skipping rocks off the surface of the Black Lake and enjoying each other's company.

Up in Gryffindor Tower, Ron Weasley, having smelled the distinct odor of breakfast being prepared, awoke from his peaceful slumber. After clumsily rising from bed, he quickly tossed on some clothing and called in the general direction of his best friend's bed, "Oi come on mate, it's time for breakfast!"

Upon the lack of immediate response, Ron looked over in the direction of the four-poster in which Harry had been sleeping the evening before only to find it devoid of its occupant.

"Harry?" Ron called out again. Thinking as to where his friend could be, Ron descended the spiral staircase from the Gryffindor Boys Dormitory to the Common Room. After a quick scan of the Common Room, with Harry nowhere in sight, a feeling of worry began to settle over the second youngest Weasley.

At that moment however, something caught his eye outside of the large window which looked out to the sprawling front lawn and the Black Lake. He walked over and peered out of the large window, where at the shore of the lake, he spotted the forms of his younger sister and best friend facing the lake with arms around each others' waists.

Ron Weasleys' ears turned a bright red, and anger descended upon the teen.

"Oi who does he think he is? That after being so gone so long he can just pick up where he left off with her? Wait till I…" Ron griped angrily out the window

"Oh stop it Ronald, let them decide for themselves." A voice from over Ron's shoulder issued in a scolding tone. Ron turned and gazed upon a somewhat amused and bushy haired Hermione Granger, arms crossed, and staring down at him from the steps of the Girls Dormitory.

"Well I just think that….I mean she's my sister 'Mione…." Ron stammered as he tried to explain his thoughts to Hermione who would hear nothing of it.

"Ron, as I said let's just let them figure it out, and whatever you do please don't give Harry a hard time about it, I'm sure that's the last thing he wants right now." She said soothingly to Ron, moving closer to him and giving him a peck on the cheek.

"Well now how can I argue with your logic Hermione," Ron said slyly as the young couple soon began snogging each other on one of the chesterfields in the middle of the Common Room.

Meanwhile down by the Black Lake, Harry and Ginny were thoroughly enjoying themselves and had not a care in the world, other than being with each other. After having their fill skipping rocks off the surface of the water, they were content to stand at the shore with an arm secured around each other's waists and admiring the view and tranquility the morning provided. After a while of this, Harry finally broke the silence between them.

"You know as much as I would like to stay here with you, I think we're going to be missed soon up in the castle Ginny," Harry said with a small frown on his face, which was in turn mirrored by Ginny

"Oh can't we say a little longer?" Ginny pouted.

"Well I can't quite argue with that face, can I?" Harry replied with a smile, and Ginny with a short kiss, as the two continued to stand by the lake with Ginny's head resting on Harry's shoulder.

* * *

**Classified Location**

**May 3, 1998**

**8:30 GMT**

Dressed in this Army Green Service Uniform, the young battle hardened soldier stepped out of the fireplace. After taking a moment to dust himself off, he quickly stood at attention, his right arm cocked into a salute with his index finger just about touching his green beret.

"At ease Captain," His commanding officer ordered. Upon hearing the instruction, the young Captain spread his legs further apart at an 'at ease' stance. "Take a seat," the commanding officer offered. The Captain obliged and took a seat on the opposite side of the desk from the commanding officer.

"So I take it the Snake has been taken down?" the commanding officer inquired.

"Affirmative Colonel Harrington sir," the Captain replied, "Any remaining Death Eaters are disorganized and on the run, any threat they would pose would be minimal at best. Fair guess they will be easily rounded up and brought to justice in weeks."

"Excellent, after all you and your unit have done over the past few years it seems your efforts have finally paid off." Colonel Harrington remarked, smiling at his protégée.

A prolonged silence fell upon the two men, and it seemed that there was an elephant in the room that neither wanted to address. Finally after a few minutes, the junior officer took the plunge.

"Sir, with Tom Riddle and his followers taken care of…" the Captain began.

"I take it then you would like your status to be changed?" Colonel Harrington asked, cutting him off.

"Sir, yes sir." The Captain replied.

"Very well," Colonel Harrington remarked. After summoning a file from the filing cabinet behind him with his wand, the Colonel opened the particular file and began to make notations in it with his pen. "I'm promoting you to the rank of Major and granting you your request for Non-Official-Cover status."

After a few minutes, the Colonel concluded making the proper notations in the newly promoted Major's file. Closing it, he placed it on his desk and rose from his chair with the Major following suit. With a wave of the Colonel's wand, the Major's uniform now reflected the promotion.

"Expect to get come correspondence from General Casey along with Senator Kennedy and perhaps the President for some medal awards in the near future." After a brief pause the Colonel held out his wand, the Major held his out so that the tips nearly touched.

"I hereby honorably discharge you from the service of the 9th Special Forces Group with the rank of Major, and amend your status as Non-Official-Cover on this the third day of May 1998." The Colonel finished as a white light filled the room, and then quickly subsided. Stowing both of their wands, the men shook hands.

"It's been an honor sir," the Major said to Colonel Harrington.

"No the honor is still mine Major. I'm sure we will continue to see great things from you," the Colonel replied.

After a mutual salute between the two officers, the Major turned toward the fireplace, grasped a fistful of Floo Powder and tossed it into the flames.

"The Hog's Head" He called out as he stepped into the green flames.

* * *

**Hogwarts Castle**

**May 3****, ****1998**

**8:30 GMT **

The occupants of Hogwarts Castle not under arrest in the dungeons, or recovering in the Hospital Wing, eventually made their way into the Great Hall that morning for their first meal following the conclusion of the Second Wizarding War. Just as Harry and Ginny were making their way into the Entrance Hall, they noticed Ron and Hermione descending the stairs from the direction of Gryffindor Tower.

"I still can't believe it." Harry remarked wistfully as he noticed his two best friends essentially glued to the hip, and displaying their newly discovered relationship.

"I've seen it coming for ages; you can't honestly tell me you're surprised?" Ginny said with a chuckle to her boyfriend.

"Well no, I mean I always knew it would happen, especially last year when Ron was in the Infirmary after the mead incident." Harry recalled to a nodding Ginny.

"He moaned her name in his sleep, the look on Lavender's face was priceless!" Ginny recounted, causing her and Harry to erupt into a fit of giggles and laughter. This however drew Ron and Hermione's attention and neither of them seemed to appreciate laughter being directed at them.

"Care to enlighten us on what you find so funny?" Hermione issued firmly, her hands on her hips, while Ron's ears turned crimson.

"Hmmm what do you think Ginny, should we tell them?" Harry asked sweetly.

"No, I think we'll keep it to ourselves." Ginny replied much to the ire of Ron.

"Well just so you both know, you better keep the snogging to a minimum in front of me." Ron retorted.

"Or else what dear brother? What will you do to me or Harry if I do this?" Ginny replied as she pulled Harry in for a kiss.

Harry, not only caught off guard by Ginny's forward behavior, but also unsure of how to proceed with Ron standing but not feet from him, froze. However, his heart and libido took over as he deepened the kiss.

Ron, disgusted at the sight of his best friend and younger sister go at it, turned on his heel and headed towards the Great Hall yelling as he walked off, "Don't you hurt her Potter!"

Hermione smiled and gave a wink to the couple before following Ron in towards the Great Hall. Shortly after their friends' departure, Harry and Ginny broke the intimate snog and gazed into each others' eyes.

"What is this I see here oh brother of mine?" A voice called out from behind the couple.

"I think it be little Gin-Gin and Harrykins picking up where they left off, my fellow partner in crime!" An identical voice issued. Somewhat startled, Harry and Ginny turned around to find Fred and George sauntering into the Entrance Hall, grins plastered on their faces.

"Fred. George," Harry greeted the twins weakly.

"Harry, Harry" Both said in unison.

"You need not…" Fred began

"Fear anything from us." George continued

"As we cannot in good conscience…" Fred stated

"Lay a hand on our principal investor!" George finished much to the relief of Harry.

"But," Both said after a brief pause, causing Harry to gulp.

"If you break her heart again…" Fred warned

"You'll be hearing from us!" George finished as the Weasley twins whimsically went on their way towards the Great Hall, while leaving a slightly confused Harry and amused Ginny in their wake.

"Oh Fred and George, whatever would we do without them?" Ginny remarked off-handedly, while Harry was still attempting to digest the Twins' message.

"Let's hope we never have to find out." Harry answered, and at that moment both of their stomachs' issued audible grumbles.

"Shall we?" Harry asked of his girlfriend, motioning towards the Great Hall.

"We shall," Ginny replied and after taking Harry's arm, the couple made their way into the Great Hall.

* * *

**The Hog's Head **

**May 3, 1998 **

**9:00 GMT**

In the cozy apartment above the Hog's Head Pub, the newly promoted Major attempted to eat the breakfast he prepared, but found that try as he might, nerves were taking their toll on his appetite. To him, his anxiety seemed totally out of place considering his experiences in the Special Forces. In the past three years he had been shot at, nearly killed on several occasions, jumped out of airplanes and off brooms, engaged in duels and shootouts where he was incredibly outnumbered and sadly, taken lives.

Yet, all of that was included in his rigorous training; it was to be expected of a soldier. What he was setting out to do this morning however, was neither in any training regimen nor could be planned in a battle scenario. It would be something that would change lives, hopefully for the better, but it would be messy, and messes were something the Major was not fond of.

Exhaling loudly, the Major succumbed to his emotions and reached into one of the desk drawers and pulled out a photo, which was encased in a simple frame. It was of a beautiful girl in her early twenties with slightly below shoulder length, flowing, brown hair, and dazzling brown eyes. She was smiling, and blew a kiss to the camera. After gazing into the photograph for a few moments, he closed his eyes and deposited it back into the desk drawer.

He buried his face in his hands, slowly running them over the top of his buzz cut head. Upon reaching the back of his skull, his hands formed into fists and he pounded the desk with all his might. Recalling the mistakes he made that night, caused him much guilt, grief, and powerlessness. That night became his motivation, it was the reason he was a soldier. But his work was only half done, Voldemort was dead, but another was still out there, and until he was defeated he could not retire from the service.

He looked up and stared out of the window which faced Hogwarts. Even from this distance, he could make out the damage the castle suffered as a result of the previous night's engagement. Dismissing his criticisms of how strategy was executed, the Major grabbed the Sat Phone on the desk and dialed. After a few moments, he hung up the phone and placed it back on the desk.

Pushing back in his chair he stood, gave one last look towards the majestic castle, and disappeared in a flash of flame.

* * *

**Hogwarts Castle**

**May 3, 1998**

**9:30 GMT**

The entire Weasley clan plus Hermione and Harry all sat together at the Gryffindor table and ate in a light yet also reverential mood with only casual and infrequent conversation passing between the large family. They had been lucky and it did not hit them until they had all assembled with but only bumps, bruises, and scratches to tend to. There had been losses of friends close to them, Remus Lupin and Tonks at the top of the list, but there would be a time for mourning, right now they had taken the opportunity to rejoice in the demise of Voldemort and that their family was very much intact at the war's conclusion.

All around them however, were families who had not been as fortunate, as they were. Harry looked around the Great Hall and noticed Dennis Creevy, standing over his older brother's covered body with a blank expression on his face. Recalling how he had handled grief, he thought it best not to bother him, for he knew all too well that initially it was best to be in solitude while grieving. He felt a hand slide into his and gave it a squeeze. Looking over to Ginny sitting next to him, he smiled in appreciation of this simple but yet significant gesture.

When the family appeared to have finished their meal, Mr. Weasley looked up towards his family and cleared his throat to gather their attention.

"I never thought I would be fortunate enough not only to see this day come, but that I am able to share it with _all_ of my family." Mr. Weasley began.

"No doubt there is still much to be done around here, so I think it would be prudent for all of us to lend our hands and wands towards rebuilding the castle today." Mr. Weasley suggested drawing nods from his family. "Minerva and Kingsley have told me that tomorrow there will be a memorial service for those who fell, and from there we'll return home."

Following Mr. Weasley's discourse on the agenda for the day, Minerva McGonagall strode toward the Gryffindor table and approached Harry.

"Mr. Potter, Professor Dumbledore's portrait wishes to speak with you." She informed the Boy-Who-Lived.

Ginny gave his hand a squeeze, drawing a smile from him as he pushed back from the table and followed the Transfiguration professor towards the Headmaster's Office.

"Harry," McGonagall began, much to his surprise as he never heard her call him by his first name before, "I'm so very proud of you. Merlin knows over the past several years you always managed to get yourself into rather …difficult situations and yet here you are at the end of it all. It has been an honor to have had you not only as a student, but also in my house." Minerva finished just as they arrived at the gargoyle that stood sentinel at the foot of the staircase to the Headmaster's Office.

Harry was in a bit of shock, for he never imagined the stern Transfiguration professor and Head of Gryffindor House would be so sentimental towards him. Thinking of nothing else, he embraced her. After a few moments, teacher and student broke away and McGonagall spoke the password to the gargoyle, which promptly leapt off his perch, revealing the stone staircase leading towards the Headmaster's Office. Harry climbed the familiar staircase and subsequently entered the ornate office of the Headmaster.

Scanning the myriad of portraits which hung on the walls, Harry searched for the one of his former mentor and Headmaster. Suddenly the familiar voice of Albus Dumbledore sounded from the far wall.

"Ah, Harry at last, I was beginning to think Minerva was having difficulty in finding you." Dumbledore began.

Making his way towards Dumbledore's voice, Harry came upon his portrait, which hung behind the Headmaster's desk.

"Professor Dumbledore sir," Harry greeted.

"Harry, I have not been your professor for nearly a year now, Albus will suffice." Dumbledore replied with a smile and familiar twinkle in his eyes.

"Alright then Prof…err...I mean Albus. "Harry acknowledged.

"Please have a seat, and help yourself to a Lemon Drop, Minerva seems to have become as taken with them as I once was." Albus offered as Harry sat in a chair opposite of the Headmaster's desk.

"Harry, first I want to say how proud I am of you. Finally it appears you are now free of the burden placed on you at such a young age." Albus said to his protégée.

"Thanks Albus," Harry replied weakly, after which a silence fell between the two.

"Harry, I had you summoned here because there is something very significant that I must share with you, something I wish I could have shared with you a long time ago." Albus stated.

Curiosity peaked, Harry inquired, "What is it sir?"

"You see Harry," Albus began, "Upon hearing the prophecy which would come to define your life and knowing your mother's expected due date I took an interest in her pregnancy. For her safety I convinced her to have the delivery in the cottage at Godric's Hollow with Poppy Promfrey as the midwife. Considering the dangerous times, your parents took my advice and on the thirty-first of July, 1980 something magnificent happened."

"Yeah I reckon I was born sir, but I don't quite see how…" Harry began.

"Examine my Pensive Harry, I already had Minerva place the memory inside." Albus instructed, motioning towards the far wall of the office where the ornate stone basin rested atop a stone column.

Harry cautiously moved toward the Pensive, and lowered his head into the basin, the swirling contents forming into a memory.

* * *

**Potter Cottage**

**Godric's Hollow**

**July 31, 1980**

Harry found himself in his parents' bedroom, his mother propped up in bed drenched in sweat and grimacing under the strain of childbirth while Poppy Pomfrey was at the foot of the bed. James Potter was knelt down at his wife's side, holding her hand and offering words of support, while to Harry's right stood Albus Dumbledore, calmly observing.

After several rounds of pushes and endearing words from both Pomfrey and James, a baby boy with a small patch of dark brown hair popped out of Lilly. After wrapping a blanket around the newborn the Hogwarts nurse handed the child to James.

James knelt close to the bed and both he and his wife admired their newborn for a few moments, when suddenly a sharp pain came over Lilly.

"Poppy, what's happening to her!" James shouted in obvious concern for his wife who appeared to be in serious pain.

The Hogwarts matron examined her patient, and after a few waves of her wand, immediately began instructing her patient to breathe and push as she had done before.

"Poppy is she….are we?" James stammered.

"Yes Mr. Potter, there still is another baby to come out of her, she was carrying twins all this time."The Hogwarts matron spat out quickly before tending to her patient.

Harry paled at this revelation. His mother was having twins? It seemed impossible, for surely he would have known before this day that he had a brother or sister. Not wanting to squander his time in the memory, Harry did his best to set aside his questions and focus on what was happening.

After several minutes of hearing his mother struggle, a baby with a small tuft of black hair emerged into the world. Harry couldn't help but smile as he observed his parents admiring their newborns. However, the precious moment was interrupted by the voice of Albus Dumbledore.

"James, may I speak with you for a moment?" The Hogwarts Headmaster inquired.

James reluctantly nodded and led the elder wizard to his study, taking care to shut the door after Harry made his way into the room, unnoticed by his father of the former Headmaster.

"Yes Albus?" James inquired with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"First allow me to congratulate you and Lilly on your newborns; did you know she was carrying twins?" Albus inquired.

"No, Lilly and I wanted to be surprised, "James answered somewhat tersely, wanting the elder wizard to cut to the chase.

"I apologize for having to detain you James, but I have something important and potentially distressing to discuss with you." Albus began, causing James' face to pale.

"A few weeks ago while in the process of hiring a new Divination professor, one of the candidates upon completion of her interview entered into a trance and issued a prophecy. A prophecy which I believe will bring about the end of Tom Riddle once and for all." Albus continued.

""_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches...Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies...and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not...and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives..._"

"Born as the seventh month dies….but Albus tonight is the thirty-first, and it's but only several minutes to midnight!" James exclaimed after glancing at his watch.

"So you see James, one of your boys will be ultimately responsible for defeating him once and for all." Dumbledore finished.

A solemn silence fell between the two wizards. James ran his hands through his messy black hair, deep in thought after a several moments he spoke.

"You wouldn't be telling me this unless _he _knows." James issued quietly, putting extra emphasis on he.

"I fear that he knows enough, and has come to the conclusion that your child must die. Thankfully he is not aware of your wife carrying twins." Dumbledore began."However, the only solution is to separate your children."

"ABSOLUELY OUT OF THE QUESTION!" James roared.

"James…" Dumbledore began but was quickly cut-off.

"NO ALBUS, I WILL NOT ALLOW IT!"

"James, listen to me." Dumbledore began a bit more forcefully this time, "We are talking about bringing an end to this war. Should Riddle find you, he will kill both of your boys and all will be lost. You must think of the greater good James, the future of Britain and the world could rest on your boys, and we must make hard choices sometimes." Dumbledore replied.

"What you're asking…." James began, beginning to succumb to his emotions.

"I know James, this will not be easy, but we are in a war, fighting for our very survival, if your boys are the only hope we have, then we must keep them as safe as possible. I cannot in good conscience take both, and I know you and Lilly will not leave the country, so this is the only solution." Dumbledore finished.

"We made an oath not to run; we always said that from the beginning." James recalled. "But how can I possibly tell my wife, the mother of my children, that one must be taken from her."

"It will not be easy, but James I cannot take no for an answer, too much is at stake. I don't want to have to…" Dumbledore warned.

"I understand Albus, but must it be tonight? Can't you give us one night with both of them?" James pleaded.

"I'm sorry James," Dumbledore shook his head, "The sooner we do this, the better. I must leave with one of the boys within the next half hour." Dumbledore replied to a crestfallen James.

"If that is the way it has to be, then I suppose there is nothing more to say Albus." James began, "But I suggest for your own safety you wait in here while I talk things over with Lilly." Dumbledore nodded in reply.

"Albus," James called out from the doorway. "I hope you are right about this, because if you destroyed my family based on a whim or a hunch, I will kill you." James replied as he made his way out of the study.

Several minutes later the study door opened, "Albus," James called out, and the elder wizard exited the study and returned to the master bedroom with Harry following close behind. Lilly Potter was sobbing uncontrollably as she clung to her two boys while James attempted to comfort her. Poppy Pomfrey approached the Headmaster.

"They'll let you have the firstborn; the younger one has a bit of a fever and shouldn't travel." Poppy whispered into Albus' ear.

"I'm sorry for you both, but this is the only way…" Albus began in an attempt to comfort his former students.

"Just go Albus, and take David Sirius with you, since you _must_" James spat at his former professor.

"David Sirius," Lilly began, "Say goodbye to Harry James" She finished between sobs.

David Sirius Potter, the older Potter twin with the brown hair, looked towards his baby brother, who immediately began to cry as Albus Dumbledore approached David and took him from his mothers' grasp. A cloacked figure of entered the bedroom and Albus deposited the infant David in the figure's grasp, and the figure left as quickly as he came.

"Now it is imperative that no one know about young David's existence, therefore all of us must take Vows of Silence to ensure that we not speak about David so long as Tom Riddle is alive. By making this Vow, you will never be able to mention David's name or refer to him in any way, not even to each other. Further, none of you are to know the identity of the person who took David, nor where he is taking him to." Albus finished as he raised his wand and several beams of light touched the lips of all who were in the room.

Harry felt the memory fading and he was being pulled back into reality.

* * *

**Hogwarts Castle**

**May 3, 1998**

**11:00 GMT **

Harry's head was spinning. He attempted to steady himself by using the column the Pensive rested on, but rather staggered over to one of the chairs facing the Headmaster's desk and Dumbledore's portrait. Sitting down, Harry attempted to make sense of what he had just seen. After several moments he heard Dumbledore's voice.

"Harry, are you alright?" Dumbledore asked his former student.

Harry didn't quite know how to answer that question. While physically he was healthy, his mental and emotional states were much harder to determine. Questions and emotions alike were swirling around in his head. One word was the most prevalent and he thought it most prudent to start there.

"Why sir?" Harry choked out. After a pause, Dumbledore's portrait began to speak.

"Alas Harry, fate has a nasty habit of not giving us much insight as to why things end up the way they do. Nothing would have made me happier than for you and your brother to have grown up and lived a quaint and normal life with your mother and father. But unfortunately Tom Riddle caused that to become a fantasy."

"Where did you take my brother?" Harry inquired.

"Aberforth took him to America and they settled there. As far as his life story I know very little, other than what is in a file in my desk." Dumbledore answered. Harry nodded and rose from his chair to get the file, but he was still recovering from his dizzy spell and nearly fell over when he stood.

"Please Harry, sit, I have more to tell you." Dumbledore suggested. Harry sat back down into the chair and listened intently to Dumbledore.

"What I know about David is that he was educated at the best school for witches and wizards in America, Harvard University. From there he enlisted in the United States Army and was placed in a Special Forces division that utilized magic, and was responsible for defending the United States from magical threats." Dumbledore recalled.

"But sir, how could he have gone to university and enter into the Armed Forces? I reckon he's not even eighteen." Harry asked the former Headmaster.

"Alas Harry, your brother…well was deprived of a childhood." Dumbledore began.

"What does that mean sir?" Harry inquired.

"Well his age was…manipulated." Dumbledore stammered. "For example, while it had been eleven years since his birth, he had the physical and magical attributes of a sixteen year old. Therefore I'd estimate he would appear to be twenty-two and nearing his twenty-third birthday."

"That's one thing we have in common then." Harry mused.

"Beg your pardon Harry?" Albus inquired.

"Well neither one of us had a childhood then sir, I was a slave to my Aunt and Uncle, and he was fed growth potions, what a bang up job you did taking care of us _sir_." Harry fired at his former professor.

"Harry," Dumbledore began.

"No, it wasn't fair to either one of us, don't even think of trying to defend it by saying it was all for the greater good. So were we just your pawns then? Let me guess you probably had him already training to be a soldier so that when he got out of school he could be your insurance policy in case I failed?" Harry shouted, rising from his seat.

"What would you have had me do Harry? I didn't have the knowledge then that I had while I was with you in school. Had I known the curse would have bounced off, I would have kept you both together, I would have done many things differently. That said, we cannot undo the past Harry. I'm sorry I could not have done better by both you and David." Dumbledore replied.

After a moment Harry sat back down in his chair and looked up into the former Headmasters' eyes, "I'm sorry too sir for shouting. I accept your apology, but what I've always wanted was to have a family. But every time I got closer to that goal it was taken away. Sirius, Remus, my parents, and now a brother that I never knew existed these past eighteen years. I just want to find him sir, I want us to get to know each other and be like brothers should be." Harry finished choking up as he finished speaking.

"I understand Harry, I should think once the Ministry gets itself together, they might have some contacts in America who could point you in the right direction." Dumbledore replied. "I think however, our chat has gone on for some time, and no doubt your friends will be wondering where you have been."

"Yes it has been quite a while since I left them," Harry replied after glancing at his watch. He rose from his chair, "Thank you Headmaster for what you have told me/"

"Harry, don't leave without your brother's file." Dumbledore reminded Harry, who turned around and headed toward the ornate desk.

"Simply ask for your brother's file." Dumbledore instructed.

Looking at the desk, Harry said "Er, I'd like my brother's file please?" After a moment, the lower drawer flew open and the file slammed into Harry's chest.

"Until next time Harry." Dumbledore bid farewell, as his former student departed the Headmaster's office.

* * *

**Gryffindor Common Room**

Ginny had been pacing back and forth across the Gryffindor Common Room for the past hour, while Ron and Hermione looked on from one of the comfortable couches, their hands interlocked.

"Ginny you're making me dizzy with all this pacing," Rom commented, but Ginny either did not hear him, or if just to spite him, continued to pace with added vigor. After a few moments Hermione attempted to get Ginny to case her pacing.

"Ginny," Hermione began, "I know you're worried about Harry, but pacing isn't going to make whatever he's doing end faster." Ginny's response to Hermione was simply a stare, not a particularly harsh stare, but a stare nonetheless.

At that moment they heard the sound of the Fat Lady's portrait creaking open and a moment after, the familiar form of Harry Potter came stumbling through the entryway.

"Harry!" Ginny exclaimed as she ran over to him and enveloped him in a tight hug.

"It's good to see you too Ginny." Harry wheezed out, his voice suffering from the pressure of the hug. After a moment she pulled back and the couple shared a brief, yet tender, kiss, much to the displeasure of Ron.

"What have you been up to for the past few hours?" Hermione inquired.

"I've got loads to tell you." Harry replied, taking a seat in on one of the sofas, with Ginny at his side and Ron and Hermione seated across from him.

"What's that folder you have there?" Ron asked of his friend, who was clutching a manila folder.

"Oh this." Harry remarked, "This I'll get to later," He said, setting the folder aside, leaving his hands free to grasp Ginny's. "I had a long conversation with Dumbledore's portrait." Harry began.

"And?" Hermione asked, her trademark curiosity starting to show.

"Well," Harry responded, "He showed me something I never thought was possible, yet it was something that I've wanted my whole life." Harry continued.

"What Harry?" Ginny asked him softly.

"I have a twin brother." Harry said to the group.

* * *

**La Pueta Del Sol**

**Madrid, Spain**

**11:00 GMT**

A brown haired man wearing sunglasses and dressed in a pair of jeans and an untucked white dress shirt was sitting at a table for two on a sidewalk café in one of the busiest neighborhoods in Madrid. He sipped his coffee slowly and observed the ever fluid crowd of both tourists and natives that happened to walk by. A few minutes later, he was joined at his table by a similarly attired man of forty years old. The new arrival ordered a coffee, and neither man spoke until the server returned with the coffee. After she departed, the younger man cast a quick charm with a wave of his hand so that they would not be overheard.

"It is good to see you again David," The older man greeted warmly.

"Likewise Diego, however this isn't a social call." David replied.

"Of course, let me guess, now that Voldemort has been taken down you're after…" Diego began.

"Indeed, he took something from someone I love and I intend to get it back." David replied, the determination clear in his tone.

"It was a tragedy, I'm sorry to hear what you both have been going through." Diego offered.

"Thankfully she feels no pain; however it's getting worse for me Diego, if I don't get her back…" David replied darkly.

"How much longer do you have?" Diego inquired.

"Hard to say, the Docs in the States didn't think I'd last this long. Nobody knows, but the potions have been keeping me combat ready." David answered.

"Well have you thought about bringing Harry into the fold, perhaps a connection with your brother could be helpful." Diego suggested.

"I've given it some thought, Doc Watson was thinking the same thing about it filling the void and giving me more time. But the poor kid has been through enough. He needs to live, be a kid, be with that girl of his and not worry about my affairs." David replied.

"Does he even know about you?" Diego asked.

"Doubtful, though Dumbledore had a portrait made, perhaps he will point my brother in my direction. Otherwise there is a very short list of people who know of our connection. Potter is a common name after all, and my age helps to dissuade rumor. So if Dumbledore doesn't tell him, he's not apt to find out for some time" David replied.

"So who knows?" Diego inquired.

"Let's see, you, Adam, Doc Watson, Gormuk the Chief Goblin, and Colonel Harrington." David rattled off.

"What makes me so special to be in that list?" Diego said with a smirk.

"You're my eyes and ears in Europe, and you're one of the only men I can trust." David replied, "Just don't let it go to your head amigo." David added, yielding a brief chuckle between the two men.

"Are you going to visit Prince Felipe while you are in the country? You know you are a great friend to him and the Royal Family after what you did for him." Diego reminded David.

"I know, in fact after this is all over I'm making good on Felipe's offer to utilize the Royal Villa on La Costa del Sol for our honeymoon." David replied with a grin.

"I see you haven't lost your sense of humor my friend." Diego said with a smile. "Speaking of her, have you been to Boston recently to…"

"I won't see her like that." David replied firmly, "The only time I will ever set foot in that place is when I can walk in there and bring her back to me." A silence fell between the two men.

"You know Spain will back you in this endeavor. I'm sure the French would as well after what you and your team have done in the past. " Diego offered, "As for the Russians.."

"That's where it gets complicated, because as the old saying goes, loyalty is measured in rubles." David quoted, causing both men to smirk. "While I appreciate the offer Diego, all I need is information, use your famous eyes and ears to get me what I need when I need it. For this all to work I have to fly solo and be exact." David stressed to a nodding Diego.

"Run it down for me." Diego asked.

"He's too well protected, even without an army, to mount an assault. In that case I'll have to 'encourage' those who are protecting him that it would be in their better interest to cease doing so." David finished.

"How do you plan on doing that?" Diego countered.

"Everyone and I mean everyone has pressure points. He found mine and nailed me. All I have to do is find his protectors' and squeeze." David replied.

"His 'associates' aren't simpletons. They can and will stand up to you in a fight. And not to mention your magic could become compromised and where will you be then?" Diego fired back.

"I've only failed once, and it's cost me dearly. I will not fail her again." David replied resolutely.

"Alright, but I am going on record and saying that I don't like where this is going." Diego said throwing up his hands.

"Since when have you ever liked how I go about things?" David replied sarcastically.

"Point taken. Alright what do you need?" Diego asked.

"It's all there," David replied as a manila folder appeared in Diego's lap.

"How do you do that?" Diego asked incredulously.

"Magic." David replied with a smirk.

"Asshole." Diego cursed as he examined the contents of the folder. "Hmm, this will take some time amigo."

"Time is something we don't have much of Diego, so how about this, you've got 24 hours to get this all together at our usual drop." David instructed.

"Cambrón Gate in Toldeo, in the Old City yeah?" Diego confirmed as David nodded.

"Well my friend I best be off, my famous eyes and ears have some work to do." Diego commented as he rose from the table.

"Why do we speak English when we're together? Shouldn't you be speaking my language in my country?" Diego asked David.

"Because if I recall correctly, I had to save your ass when you were getting a bit frisky at…" David recalled.

"Basta Ya!" (Stop it), Diego replied. "Hasta luego amigo" (see you later my friend) He called out as he walked away.

David waved off the charm and after leaving some pesetas on the table, rose and departed off into the square.

* * *

**Gryffindor Common Room**

Harry spent the past hour recounting the memory Dumbledore showed him as well as the other parts of their conversation. To say his friends were stunned would be an understatement. Upon completing the story he handed over his brother's file to Hermione who intently studied it for several minutes.

"Well?" Harry asked.

"This is….unbelievable!" Hermione remarked

"What's in there?" Ron asked.

"Well it's Harry's brother's classified personnel file! They have everything in here about him!" Hermione remarked.

"Well read it to us." Harry replied

"David Sirius Potter, date of birth as July 31, 1975, probably to go along with what you told us about his induced maturity." Hermione began. "Let's see, six foot two, 190 lbs, brown hair, hazel eyes. Graduated Harvard College in 1993 as Valedictorian and with a degree in Political Science and Economics. Graduated Harvard University with a dual Masters of Business Administration in Finance and a Juris Doctor in 1995." Hermione rattled off to a confused group.

"Hermione what's all that about his education, the degrees and stuff?" Ron inquired.

"It means he's incredibly smart. He finished University in three years, it usually takes four, and he got two graduate degrees in two years when that would normally take three to five! And he graduated at the top of his class!" Hermione gawked. "To answer your question a bit more clearly, the undergraduate degree, the first one he got, is not all that important, as it merely says you've completed the basic level of schooling. The other two degrees are more professionally oriented, so his Masters of Business Administration gives him the skills to be a businessman and his Juris Doctor means he's also qualified as a lawyer." Hermione finished.

"I see, but was he educated at a magical school like Hogwarts?" Harry asked.

"It doesn't say specifically, oh well here's something." Hermione remarked as she scanned the document.

"Commissioned as an officer in the 9th Special Forces Group in 1995, where he was trained to be a clandestine operative to defend the United States and its allies from all magical threats." Hermione summarized to the group.

"So he's an Auror then?" Ron guessed.

"Sort of, but it appears that this group is integrated with the U.S. Army and the CIA, meaning they're a part of the American Muggle army and intelligence service." Hermione added.

"Merlin!" Ron commented.

"Indeed," Hermione added, "Oh here's his non-magical abilities section. Let's see, fluent in English, Spanish, French, Catalan, Russian, and German. Licensed pilot in both fixed wing aircraft and helicopters, expert marksman in pistols and rifles, skilled martial artist, certified paratrooper and diver."

"So he can speak six languages, fly and jump out of airplanes, and is deadly with a gun. Maybe they screwed up and he should have been The Chosen One." Harry remarked sarcastically.

"Maybe he can tell Dad how airplanes fly then eh?" Ginny remarked to the group generating nods from all.

"They put a note under that section; apparently he's an accomplished guitarist and has a band with friends from Harvard. Doesn't give any details but mentions one of his friends in the band who is in the Army with him, Adam Duritz."

"Neat!" Ginny added, "Maybe I picked the wrong Potter then." She remarked much to Harry's chagrin.

"Magical abilities, master Occlumens and Legilimens, superb flyer, skilled duelist, practitioner of elemental magic, animagus, wandless and non-verbal spell caster. Expert warder and ward breaker. Also fluent in the goblin language." Hermione finished.

"Merlin he's an animagus? I wonder what his form is." Harry remarked.

"So he's pretty much the ultimate bad-ass!" Ron remarked, earning him a smack from Hermione.

"I must admit he would have been a welcome addition to our endeavors this past year." Hermione remarked to the group. Flipping over his bio report she came across something interesting.

"Oh look some photographs." Hermione remarked as she passed around a few photos of David.

"Harry and Ginny gazed into the magical photo which was of David and Adam Duritz in their Green Service Uniforms saluting the camera then Adam whispered something to David causing both to explode in laughter. Harry noticed that David had a typical soldier look, tall muscular, with short hair, while Adam looked a bit out of place with his Green Beret floppily resting atop his dreadlocks along with a full mustache and beard.

"That Adam looks a bit funny doesn't he?" Ginny remarked to Harry.

"Yeah I reckon so," Harry replied somewhat distantly as he continued to stare at the photographic figure of his brother. While Harry had the absolute look of his father save for his famous eyes, David was more of a mix between his mother and father. Everything from the brown hair to the hazel eyes and the mix of his mother's sharp intellect and his father's daring courage seemed to Harry as though David was the perfect combination of his mother and father.

"Hey, you ok?" Ginny whispered into his ear.

"Yeah," Harry replied softly.

"You'll meet him soon, I know it." Ginny stated.

"I know, I guess I'm still a bit overwhelmed by it all. I mean the war ends, I get back together with the girl I love, and I find out I have a brother. It's just one of those moments in life where everything just seems like it's going to be ok. And I couldn't be happier." Harry finished as he hugged Ginny and gave her a tender kiss.

* * *

A/N: I hope you enjoyed the chapter. My gift to you all is the Fred is not dead. I was so mad when JKR killed him off in the end. Truly if any Weasley had to die why couldn't it have been Percy? Anyways I also hope you enjoyed the unmasking of David Sirius Potter, but there is still much more to him that you will have to find out it later chapters. Updates will be when I can get to them as I am juggling lots of schoolwork (going for my MBA/JD in an accelerated program at NYU Stern and Law). PLEASE REVIEW FOLKS! AND THANKS FOR READING!


	3. Hope and Pray

A/N: I want to begin by thanking everybody who read and especially reviewed my previous chapter. Folks, you guys are the reason why I feel the need to keep writing and to try and make the time to do so. I am grateful for all those who added me to their alerts and favorites lists, but I also want to stress that if you can find the time to provide critical feedback it would be awesome! So without further ado, I give you chapter three.

**A Phoenix in Exile**

Chapter 3

Hope and Pray

"_When good people in any country cease their __vigilance__ and struggle, then evil men prevail." -Pearl S. Buck_

**Hogwarts Castle**

**May 3, 1998**

**23:30 GMT**

It had been a long and exhausting day for Harry Potter. The day had begun with a tender reunion between him and Ginny, which ultimately resulted in them getting back together, much to their mutual delight. However, soon after the combination of having to confront the fallen in the Great Hall during breakfast and followed by the stunning revelation of his brother's existence. But it had not ended there, for following dinner that evening, Kingsley Shacklebolt had approached Harry and inquired as to if he, Ron, and Hermione could possibly share the events of the past year with him. After conferring with his two best friends, Harry thought it best to minimize the number of times they would have to recount their epic tale. Therefore they thought it prudent to invite the entire Weasley clan and the Hogwarts professors in addition to Kingsley to the Headmaster's Office that evening to present their story.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione alternated in recounting the events which had transpired over the past several months from their hasty departure from the Burrow following Bill and Fleur's wedding and culminating with Harry's retelling of his role in the Battle of Hogwarts.

It took several hours for the entire story to be told as the trio was peppered with questions throughout their epic tale. However, they held back several details including the more gruesome portions of their stay at Malfoy Manor. Also, when it came time to explain Ron's departure from the group, both Harry and Hermione pointed out the ill-effects that the close proximity to the Horcrux had on them all.

One thing that Harry did not attempt to sensitize or gloss over was his actions leading up to the final duel with Voldemort. Explaining to the group why it was imperative to let Voldemort kill him was not easy, and he could not bear to look at Ginny throughout this portion of the story so as to spare him the pain of seeing her tying to process how he could possibly justify walking to his death without saying goodbye to her.

Finally, the story and additional questions had reached their end, and after Kingsley thanked Harry, Ron, and Hermione for sharing their story. However, Harry still had one more thing to reveal to the group assembled before him.

"There's something else I need to tell you all, something I was only made aware of earlier today." Harry began. "There's no easy way to say this, so I'll just come right out with it, I have a twin brother."

The silence in the room was deafening. Looking around, Harry noticed that save for Ron, Ginny, and Hermione; everyone had a look of disbelief and shock etched into their faces. After a few moments, Kingsley Shacklebolt broke the silence.

"I think I speak for all of us Harry in asking you how you have come by this information?" The battle hardened Auror began, "And if what you're saying is true, then how is it that we are just finding out about your brother now?"

"I can answer both questions in a word," Harry began, "Dumbledore," He stated flatly.

Harry then proceeded to tell the group about the memory Dumbledore's portrait instructed him to view, recounting the scenes he witnessed of his and his twin brother's birth, and the former Headmaster's decision to separate the Potter twins as a direct result of Professor Trawleney's prophecy. Upon finishing his account, the atmosphere in the room turned somber.

"Harry dear," Mrs. Weasley began, "If any of us even had an idea…"

"I know Mrs. Weasley, but Dumbledore was sure to cover my brother's existence quite well. What I want more than anything else now is just to find him." Harry remarked, his voice trembling somewhat toward the end, causing Ginny to take hold of his hand and grasp it firmly.

"I believe I may be able to offer some help there." Bill Weasley interjected, "While working for Gringotts I met some Yanks who might be able to point you in the right direction."

"Have a look at his file." Harry offered, tossing the file over to Bill, who caught it and immediately started scanning its contents. After a few moments, his face paled and he promptly closed the folder.

"Bill?" Harry asked the elder Weasley.

"It says here that your brother is in the 9th Special Forces Group." Bill began shakily.

"Yeah, and?" Ron asked, somewhat indignantly, which earned him an elbow from Hermione.

"Harry," Kingsley began, "The 9th Special Forces Group is the most secret but arguably the best magical armed forces team on this Earth." Kingsley finished.

"I heard about them while I was in Egypt," Bill recalled, "Apparently a separatist group was planning to launch attacks on the magical government. Rumor had it, the Yanks were called in, and a day later the whole lot of the traitors was found dead in the desert. These guys are a class above even the best Aurors both in skill and in lethal force." Bill finished.

"I would anticipate that anything other than what we have here will be most difficult to obtain from the Americans, and adding to the difficulty is their lack of a dedicated magical government." Kingsley thought out loud.

"So what are you saying Kingsley? That we should not even bother trying and just wait patiently until my brother decides to drop into London for a visit?" Harry replied angrily.

"Harry, I think what Kingsley is trying to say is that we must be patient." Arthur Weasley said reassuringly, "I swear to you that all of us here want nothing more than to see you and your brother reunited, however we can't just Portkey across the Atlantic and barge into America on a man-hunt."

After a moment or two, Harry sighed deeply and nodded his head in agreement.

"You're right Mr. Weasley, I guess I can stand to wait a couple of weeks if need be, considering I've already waited nearly eighteen years." Harry remarked with a hit of sarcasm, causing those in the room to chuckle.

"Well I think it's rather late," Mrs. Weasley remarked, as if to politely suggest to her children and Harry and Hermione that it was past their bedtimes.

"Indeed Molly, I think we all have a lot of information to digest, rest is certainly in order." Kingsley agreed, standing up from his chair.

**Gryffindor Common Room**

The twins plus Ron and Hermione had retired upon entering the familiar quarters of Gryffindor Tower. For Harry however, sleep was not on his mind, but David Sirius Potter was. Ginny Weasley, noticing her boyfriend's preoccupied state, refused to leave him completely alone. The couple positioned themselves on one of the chesterfields with Harry lying down, his head in Ginny's lap.

While he stared blankly up at the ceiling, deep in thought about the existence of his brother, Ginny ran her fingers through Harry's unkempt hair and messaged his scalp and forehead, while occasionally planting a tender kiss on his scar.

After only a few minutes of this, Harry could no longer keep a straight and stoic face and a goofy and satisfied grin appeared.

"I think you're the only one who can make me feel so good." Harry remarked, causing Ginny to blush.

"Yeah?" She replied softly.

"Yeah, I love it when you run your fingers through my hair and kiss my scar." He remarked, "It just makes me feel so…loved." Harry said, as he stared into his girlfriend's chocolate brown eyes.

Ginny's blush only increased in intensity as she smiled. She then bent her neck forward and placed a tender kiss on her boyfriend's lips. The kiss was brief, but what it lacked in length it made up for in its intent.

Pulling back, Ginny was mesmerized by the sparkle in Harry's emerald eyes. "I love you Harry Potter," She whispered softly.

Harry sat up and took Ginny's hands into his and he stared intently into her eyes, "I love you with all my heart and soul Ginny Weasley, and I've never been surer of anything else in my life." Harry said resolutely before the couple engaged in another tender kiss.

After several minutes of affectionate snogging, Ginny began to notice how tired Harry was. "Sleep with me tonight Harry?" Ginny asked her boyfriend sweetly.

Harry paused for a moment, thinking of the potential consequences should the wrong persons discover the two of them in the morning. On the other hand, he didn't care much for sleeping alone. Letting his heart get the better of his brain, he replied "Lead the way."

Ginny took Harry's hand in hers and led him towards the Girls Dormitories, as they approached the stairs Ginny said to no one in particular, "Venus."

"What's that for?" Harry inquired.

"It's so the stairs let a boy come up with me, silly." Ginny answered with a grin.

Harry then recalled the security feature of the Girls Dormitories, whereby the stairs would disappear should a boy try and enter. What he didn't know was that a girl could override it.

Sensing Harry's confusion, Ginny spoke up, "Technically only seventh years have the password but I have my ways of getting necessary information." Ginny grinned slyly.

The couple ascended the stairs and entered Ginny's empty suite on the fifth floor.

"Looks like Hermione found other accommodations." Ginny remarked with a smirk. Grabbing some nightclothes, she went into the bathroom to change. Harry meanwhile was still a bit nervous about this whole scenario and spent the duration of Ginny's time in the bathroom taking in his surroundings.

Not two minutes later, Ginny emerged in a white tank top and shorts which showed off her curves, and with the swaying of her hips, caused Harry's knees to buckle and an organ between his thighs to become more active.

"Do I arouse you, Potter?" Ginny asked seductively.

"Errrr…." Harry stammered, unable to form any coherent speech.

"I'll take that as a yes." Ginny replied, "But this won't do." She remarked at Harry's fully dressed self. With a few waves of her wand, Harry's shirt, jeans, trainers, and socks were banished, leaving him in his boxers.

"GINNY!" He cried out, his hands instinctively covering his gonads.

"Quit complaining and get into bed, I know you want to." Ginny replied coyly as she moved toward the bed and pulled the covers back.

After a moment of hesitation, Harry climbed into Ginny's four poster and after sharing a kiss, Ginny cuddled up next to Harry and rested her head on his shoulder, while he wrapped his arms around her protectively.

**4 Privet Drive**

**Little Winghing, Surrey**

**May 4, 1998 00:15 GMT**

The Dursley family materialized in their living room in a flash of blue light. Once confirmation reached their safe house that Voldemort had been vanquished, Vernon Dursley insisted that they be taken home as soon as possible. Earlier that day Dedalus Diggle had inspected the neighborhood, and along with the advice of Arabella Figg, saw nothing in the way of having the Dursleys return home.

Their luggage soon followed, landing with a thud behind them which masked the clap of thunder and the pouring rain associated with the thunderstorm which was raging outside.

"Dudley! Turn on the lights!" Vernon Dursley commanded his son.

Dudley, who had become leaner and stronger over the past year, felt his way along the wall to the light switch, and flicked it to no avail. "No good Dad." He replied.

"I think you'll find the electricity is not the only thing out of order here." A voice stated.

"WHO GOES THERE?" Vernon yelled out.

As if on cue, a flash of lightning briefly illuminated the house, revealing a man clothed in black sitting at the kitchen table.

"GET OUT OR I'M CALLING THE POLICE!" Vernon barked at the intruder.

"Do stop yelling, if I wanted to kill you, I would already be standing over your corpse." The man replied coolly, his chilling words silencing Vernon.

"Your accent, you're an American?" Dudley inquired.

"You could say that/" The man answered tersely.

"What is it you want from us?" Petunia asked, her voice trembling.

"Why don't we all sit and have a brief chat." The man offered, clearly indicating that it was not a suggestion but an order. Slowly the family made their way over to the kitchen table and took the three chairs opposite him.

"Now I don't want to be here anymore than I have to be so I'll cut to the chase." The man began, "Your actions towards someone very important to me have been _reprehensible_ and certainly not how you should treat family. If I had it my way I would have seen the lot of you rotting in cells for the next twenty years, but alas you should be grateful that it is not in my power to do so. "

"If I may," Dudley began, "I know I was horrible to Harry growing up and I know I can't undo the things I did but..."Dudley went out on a limb.

"Shut it Dudley! I will not hearing you apologize for that fr…" Vernon began.

Suddenly a crack of thunder and a flash of lightning illuminated the room, revealing the unknown man stabbing a knife into the table right between Vernon's middle and ring fingers.

"Finish that sentence and you'll be missing a hand _Uncle!_" The man spat.

There was a stunned silence in the room, as the Dursleys tried to digest the last word their mysterious visitor uttered.

"No! It's not possible!" Peunia gasped.

"Oh yes, _Aunt_ Petunia, my mother had twins, but thanks to the madman who ended up killing them they shipped me to America the night I was born." David fired back.

"Does Harry know?" Dudley asked after a brief silence.

"None of your concern _cousin_." He replied harshly. "Though it seems that your year has done you well, should you continue to keep that attitude, perhaps we may see each other again." David offered.

"I think it's time you left boy!" Vernon commanded.

"You'll address me as Major Potter, _Uncle_." David replied with added disdain for the word Uncle. "And I will only leave when I'm ready to do so. Now all of your behavior these past seventeen years towards my brother will most likely ensure that he will never contact you again. Quite sad considering he and I are the only things left of your sister, _Aunt _Petunia especially since I know you have regretted the day you sowed the seeds of hatred between you and my mother. Perhaps after a lifetime of shame maybe you will have atoned for your sins and my mother will forgive you when you depart this world." David remarked.

"There may be some hope left for you Dudley," David began, "Maybe one day Harry will come to forgive you as well.

"Regardless, I took the liberty of removing the rest of my brother's things from your home, so you finally get what you both have always wanted." David directed at his Aunt and Uncle. "But until you atone for your sins, even in death, your slumber will be plagued with the guilt and shame of how you treated my brother as a slave and whipping boy."

"I pray for all of you, as unfortunately you will always be my family. But I shan't bother you any further. May he forgive you_, because I won't_." David finished curtly as he disappeared in a ball of flame.

**Unknown Location**

**?:? GMT**

Harry found himself standing in front of an impressive looking fortress built on the slope of a mountain. It was dark and the steadily falling rain was chilling him to the bone. For some reason he was drawn to the fortress and despite its uninviting exterior he walked up the mountainside and approached the structure.

The first thing Harry noticed was that the heavily armed guards on the upper catwalks appeared to be either asleep at their posts or dead as their bodies were slumped over their machine gun emplacements. The second thing that seemed out of place was that the vault like entrance was wide open. Curiosity getting the better of him, Harry pressed on and after walking through a dimly lit hallway, he saw an elevator at the far end. Upon reaching it, the doors to the elevator car opened and Harry stepped inside, the doors closing behind him, and the elevator descended.

After descending for quite a while, the doors opened to reveal a hilltop at night during a thunderstorm. Stepping out of the elevator and into the rain, Harry's gaze was drawn to a figure at the summit of the hill. As he got closer and assisted by the lightning flashes, Harry was able to make out a man kneeling over a body. Once he was within a few dozen yards, Harry started to recognize the face of the man and that the body he was kneeling over was that of a woman with long auburn hair, whose head he was cradling in his arms.

As he started to get to within a few dozen yards, Harry now could say with certainty that the man before him was his brother and that he was sobbing over the seemingly lifeless body of the woman before him. Now standing only a few feet from the scene, Harry looked at the woman's body and saw a beautiful woman whose blue eyes stared lifelessly back into David's'.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" David yelled in anger up to the sky.

**Hogwarts Castle**

Harry's eyes fluttered open as he was awoken by a disturbing dream. Looking over at Ginny, she had a smile on her face and was sound asleep .Sighing in relief, Harry then shut his eyes again and fell back asleep listening to the sound of his love's breathing.

**Cambrón Gate**

**Toledo, Spain**

**05:30 CET**

David Sirius Potter awoke with a start from his slumber on a bench adjacent to the Cambrón Gate in Toledo. Mentally he was in complete disarray; he had another dream about that fateful night where he lost the woman he loved. The dreams were becoming more frequent, indicating that his mental shields were weakening, which was indicative of a larger problem. David's magic was being severely impaired at a faster rate than previously anticipated. However, what disturbed David more than his magic deteriorating was that he felt a presence in his dream that evening. Someone had access to his mind and it brought upon him tremendous pause.

Doing his best to put the issue aside, David withdrew a flask from his utility belt and took a long swig of the vile contents. Gagging slightly, he stowed the flask back on his belt and scanned the vicinity, looking for Diego.

"I knew you'd be here amigo." A voice said from behind David.

Turning around, David was now face to face with Diego, who was holding a manila envelope in his outstretched hand.

"Here it is, I only hope you know what you are doing." Diego offered.

David took the envelope and after shrinking it, stowed it in his armor. "Get in touch with Felipe, and give him this," David instructed, giving Diego a sealed envelope.

"He will know what to do with this then?" Diego inquired.

"Pretty self-explanatory." David replied tersely.

"I'll get this to him as soon as he wakes," Diego replied.

A silence fell between the two men, neither of them sure of how to conclude their conversation. Finally after a few moments, Diego embraced David tightly.

"Tenga cuidado mi hijo," (Be careful my son) Diego said to David as the older man and his protégée shared a tender moment.

"I will," David replied.

David stepped back from the older Spaniard, and after giving a salute, David disappeared in a flash of flame.

"God help him." Diego said solemnly before apparating to Madrid.

**7 Cooper Square**

**New York, NY, USA**

**May 4, 1998 12:00 EDT**

A man in his mid twenties returned to his Manhattan apartment after an evening at the neighborhood Jazz club he often frequented. He was still in awe of the saxophonist's ability to make the improvised music come alive. It was as if by playing off the top of their heads, they could convey their emotions to the audience much better than in most other music genres.

After unlocking the door to his somewhat spacious abode, the young man unzipped his outer rain coat and hung it on the hook behind the door, and after kicking off his shoes, made towards his 'sanctuary.' The Astro-Turf grass as flooring, and the lawn furniture adorned throughout the room, in addition to a concert grand piano, told most any visitor that this was a man of eclectic tastes. He was eager to write some new lyrics and an accompanying melody. Sitting down at the piano, he started with a couple of chord progressions and tied them to the first words out of his head.

The effort only lasted several minutes before he, in a bit of frustration, slammed the covering over the keys and pushed off the piano bench. Looking over to his desk he noticed a photograph of him and his best friend posing goofily for the camera. It was then that he realized that without his friend, writing any kind of music would be a futile effort. They had been an inseparable duo; studying, writing music, goofing off, all in all, from the day they met they became practically attached at the hip.

And yet, the past year had brought the end to the inseparable duo, and it had a profound effect on him. He knew why his best friend had to leave, but knowing and accepting were two different concepts altogether.

Suddenly, a rush of air interrupted his train of thought, and his head snapped over to the fireplace, where in a flash of flame, an envelope was thrust into the room. The young man summoned it and it flew into his hand. Examining the envelope revealed nothing about the sender or its contents save for a traditional wax seal on the reverse with no distinguishable makings. He slid his finger across the top and pulled out a very tersely worded letter.

_AD,_

_ Execute Operation Shield_

_ -DSP_

Without a moment's hesitation, AD hurried over to a section of the Astro-Turf and pulled it up, revealing a combination safe hidden underneath. Quickly dialing the combination, AD opened the safe to reveal several document folders. After finding the correct one, AD closed the safe, replaced the Astro-Turf, and sat at his desk carefully examining the file.

After several minutes, AD looked up from the folder and took a deep breath. Opening one of the desk drawers revealed a bottle of Bombay Sapphire Gin and a tumbler. AD fixed himself a glass of gin straight and drank its contents in one swig. After performing a cleaning charm on the used tumbler, AD put the bottle and glass back into his desk. Turning around he stared into his closet and his eyes became fixated on his Tactical Uniform and his trusty M4 rifle.

"Sine Pari (Without Equal), brother," AD muttered to himself as a smirk became fixed on his face.

**Gryffindor Tower**

**Hogwarts Castle**

**May 4, 1998 08:30 GMT**

The morning light found its way through the drapes at the far end of Ginny's room in Gryffindor tower and upon reaching the bed where the young couple slumbered. As soon as the first rays touched the eyelids of Harry Potter, his eyes opened and he took in the beautiful sight that was before him.

The sunlight struck Ginny's red hair making it seem as though it was aflame. It took his breath away when he studied how beautiful his girlfriend looked, sleeping so peacefully beside him, and how lucky he was to have her back in his arms. He pushed a stray lock of her brilliantly red hair back from her face and placed a tender kiss on her forehead. Immediately, a grin of contentment stretched from ear to ear on her face, and she adjusted her body so that she was closer to Harry.

Harry laid back on his side and stared into Ginny's face, and in that moment he was certain that he would never grow tired of waking up next to Ginny and taking in the sight of her beauty.

"Ginny," He whispered to her, "Ginny we have to get up." But this had no effect.

Thinking of no better idea, he slid closer to her, he planted a firm and intense kiss on her lips. This had more of the effect Harry was looking for, as Ginny adjusted herself so as to push the kiss deeper and her tongue soon followed suit, begging to enter Harry's mouth. He obliged, and the couples' tongues began their duel.

After several moments, with the tongue duel ending in a draw, both pulled back from the kiss and opened their eyes.

"Mmmm, Good morning Harry," Ginny said softly, her eyes fluttering open.

"Morning Ginny," Harry replied with a grin.

"You sure do know how to wake a girl up," Ginny remarked with a smile from ear to ear.

"Yeah well I thought it would be the best way," Harry offered.

"'Twas, Mr. Potter." Ginny said with a smirk, sighing contently.

' "We should probably get moving," Harry suggested with a bit of urgency in his voice.

"Love," Ginny began, cuppying Harry's jaw with her hand, "You've noting to be afraid of," She said resolutely before kissing him lightly on the lips and swinging out of bed and departing to the bathroom.

"Right, well I'll err head over to my side to change and I'll see you in the Common Room then?" Harry posited.

"Sounds like a plan." Ginny called out from the bathroom. Harry then threw on his jeans and departed toward the Boys Dormitory.

Harry descended the stairs from the Girls Dormitory, crossed the Gryffindor Common Room, and ascended the spiral staircase to his bedroom of the previous several years. Upon entering, his eyes were drawn to Ron's four-poster where he could see his two best friends in a spooning position, with Hermione curled into Ron's protective embrace. Both appeared to be sleeping soundly with broad smiles on their faces. For a brief moment, Harry couldn't help but stare at his friends, silently laughing to himself, for he knew all along that they would end up together. Silently, Harry grabbed some clothes from his bed and after a quick shower and change; he went to join Ginny in the Common Room.

**Palacio de la Zarzuela**

**Madrid, Spain **

**May 4, 1998 10:30 CET**

Diego Calderon entered the Royal Family's compound outside of Madrid with a clear purpose, to deliver the letter he was clutching tightly in his right hand. Making his way to the main palace, he was greeted with a salute by the two sentries guarding the entrance. After several minutes of navigating the ornately decorated residence, Diego finally reached the set of oak doors with the seal of the Prince of Asturias in bronze.

Pushing the doors open, he entered the antechamber, which housed the Prince's study. Diego looked over at the empty desk and pushed forward, entering the Prince's bedroom without a second thought and found the Prince fast asleep. Diego pulled out his wand and cast a charm, which he knew would wake the Prince. A jet of cold water streamed from the tip of Diego's wand and onto the sleeping Prince's face.

"Aiii!" Prince Felipe shouted as he shot up and out of bed.

(A/N: The conversation is to be in Spanish, but for ease of reading it is written in English)

"Have you forgotten your training already?" Diego chided.

"No, no I haven't, I was just being careless." Felipe replied

"Good, sorry for the theatrics, but it was important that I get this to you as soon as possible." Diego stated, handing over the envelope to the Felipe.

Felipe tore the envelope open and quickly read its contents. When he finished reading, his face bore a stunned expression, "Mother of God!" He exclaimed.

**Hogwarts Castle **

**Mary 4, 1998 **

**14:00 GMT**

It had been a solemn morning and early afternoon on the grounds of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, as the memorial service for all those who perished in the Battle of Hogwarts were honored. It was a simple yet reverent ceremony for those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in the hopes that the forces of darkness would not take over their nation.

A large crowd had gathered for the service, which was presided over by Kingsley Shacklebolt, who delivered a brief speech calling for all those in Wizarding Britain not only to mourn the fallen, but also to honor their sacrifices by striving for lasting peace. Minerva McGonagall then followed with a speech of her own, affirming that Hogwarts would continue to rebuild over the summer and would re-open the following year, complete with a monument to honor the fallen. Finally the names of the deceased were read.

When Colin Creevy's name was read, Harry tensed his grip on Ginny, who started to cry as one of her best friends had his coffin sealed, and Kingsley presented the Creevy's with a flag bearing the seal of the Ministry of Magic and shook hands with Mr. and Mrs. Creevy along with the younger Dennis. Harry couldn't help but think of the boy who had always peppered him with his camera, and eventually joining the DA, which ultimately led to him fighting Voldemort and his legions on the field of battle.

Several minutes later, Remus and Nymphadora Lupin's names were read, and Harry nearly lost his composure as the reality, that all of the Marauders were now deceased, hit him. That reality was only to be followed by the sad fact that Teddy Lupin would grow up without ever knowing his mother and father. After seeing Andromeda Tonks accept the flags for her fallen daughter and son-in-law, holding the infant Teddy in her arms, Harry swore that he would take a role in the young child's life. While he knew he was in no position to raise Teddy, it did not mean that he would not be able to be there for him.

Following the service, Harry along with Hermione and the Weasley clan enjoyed a fine meal in the Great Hall before preparing to depart for the Burrow later that afternoon. Kingsley had arranged for Portkeys to drop Mr. Weasley, Bill, Charlie, Percy, and Harry (at his insistence, which drew a bit of ire from Ginny) to the edge of the Burrow's property. From there the quintet would secure the property, and then send word back to Hogwarts for the remaining members of the family to join them.

As the group stood ready to depart, Harry gave one last effort to try and make peace with Ginny about leaving her behind on this sortie. Harry found her in the Gryffindor Common Room, her arms folded across her chest and her back to him.

"Ginny," He called out to her, but she refused to acknowledge him.

"Ginny, please," Harry began, "Look I know you aren't at all happy that I'm going with your father,"

"You bet I'm not!" Ginny snarled as she turned to face him.

"Ginny listen…"

"No, you listen Harry! You promised me you wouldn't do this, leaving me behind just like you did last summer!" She started, tears beginning to form in her eyes, "Why is it that you always have to put yourself in danger…" She choked out before running toward Harry and embraced him tightly.

"I love you so much," Ginny said between sobs, "I just….seeing Colin in a casket…."

"I know Gin, I know," Harry said soothingly, "Your Dad, Bill, Charlie, and Percy will all have my back, and you guys will be right behind us, I know it."

"I'm sorry Harry," Ginny said to him, regaining her composure somewhat, "It's been a hard day so far, with Colin, and Tonks, just promise me you'll be careful." Ginny asked of him, as she stared into his emerald eyes.

"I promise Ginny," Harry replied before he pulled her close for a brief but tender kiss.

After their display of affection, Harry turned on his heel and headed down toward the Great Hall, where he would meet the older Weasley men to investigate the Burrow's condition.

**Hyde Park**

**London, England**

**14:30 GMT**

A man of about six feet, two inches, with dreadlocks and a tuft of hair on his chin strolled into Hyde Park with a canvas bag slung over his right shoulder. While his unique appearance did attract some brief glances, he made his way largely unnoticed to his destination, a bench by the famous' Upside Down Tree.' Upon reaching the bench, he took the large bag off his shoulder and placed it on the ground, while taking a seat on the bench.

He glanced at his watch and noted to himself that he was right on time. But not a few seconds later he noticed a familiar face round the corner and approach the bench. He quickly rose to his feet and greeted the newcomer.

"Felipe!" He remarked as the two men shook hands and embraced.

"Adam mi hermano (my brother), it's been too long." Felipe said with a smile as he too put down a similar canvas bag next to Adam's.

"So what next?" Adam asked the Spaniard.

"Telegraph gentlemen?" An older paper man offered the two men.

"Sure, keep the change" Adam replied, handing the man a pound coin.

"Thanks lads," The paper seller replied, handing the paper to Adam before walking away.

Adam unfolded the paper to find an unmarked white envelope tucked in the centerfold. Adam discarded the paper on the bench and opened the envelope, quickly scanning over its contents before handing it over to Felipe, who in turn quickly read over the document.

"What have we gotten ourselves into here?" Felipe asked of Adam.

"Knowing him, probably quite the shitstorm." Adam replied flippantly.

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Felipe replied with a smirk as he picked up his bag.

"Me too," Adam added, picking up his bag.

**The Burrow**

**Ottery St. Catchpole, Devon**

**14:45 GMT**

The quartet of Weasley men and Harry apparated onto the edge of the Burrow's property. After ensuring that all of them had made it safely, they split up; Harry went with Percy and Charlie to search the house while Bill and would check the exterior and see about reestablishing the wards.

The trio cautiously approached the front door to the house and looked for anything out of the ordinary. Charlie took the lead and stepped toward the door with his wand at the ready. After a few waves and some incantations, he turned to Percy and Harry.

"Not picking up any signs of magic at the door." Charlie remarked.

"Probably safe, not usually like the Death Eaters to think of booby trapping the front door." Harry remarked, drawing nods from the Weasley brothers. Charlie pushed open the unlocked door, revealing a sight which would become a common theme as the men inspected the house, complete and utter disarray.

"Merlin!" Charlie gasped as he took in the sight.

The kitchen was completely ransacked, with pots, pans, cooking utensils, and various things strewn about on the floor. Most of the cabinet doors were broken off or hanging on their hinges. It sickened Harry to see the only other home he had come to know outside of Hogwarts in such a condition. While walking in further, Harry banged into something heavy which was lying on the floor. Looking down he noticed the Weasley family clock badly damaged at his feet. As he picked it up he felt a hand clasp his shoulder.

"Don't take it too hard Harry; if it's one thing the Weasleys are good at, it's picking ourselves back up off the ground." Charlie said reassuringly.

Harry nodded and put the clock aside as the trio continued to look over the house.

After about a half hour, the three boys met back down in the kitchen and came to the conclusion that while the Death Eaters or whoever ransacked the Burrow left a significant mess, they left nothing sinister in their wake. It was at that time that Mr. Weasley and Bill entered the house.

"Merlin they really tore the place up!" Bill remarked upon seeing the interior of the Burrow.

"Pretty much the same thing throughout the house," Charlie replied, "Though we couldn't find anything in the way of dark magic or anything along those lines."

"Good," Mr. Weasley remarked. "Bill and I got some basic protections up around the property, but at some point soon we'll have to get the property professionally re-warded." Mr. Weasley added, drawing nods from the boys, "Well then let's get this place straightened up as much as we can before we send for the rest of the family. I don't want Molly to have to see the house like this."

For the next hour, the quintet did their best to restore the house to some sense of order. After the majority of the mess was cleaned up, Mr. Weasley sent his patronus back to Hogwarts to signal the rest of the family that it was safe to return.

A magnificent bird had been flying above the Burrow for the past hour, as if it were keeping tabs on the group of men that worked below. When more figures appeared at the edge of the property, the bird thought it best to find a perch and remain out of sight. Spotting a tall larch that provided an excellent lookout over the property; the bird flew toward it and sat there in sentinel, watching the oddly constructed house and its occupants.

**19:45 GMT**

A silver BMW sedan pulled off the road onto a dirt path, which was just wide enough to allow the car to travel down it. After a minute of creeping slowly down the path, about a hundred meters from the tree line it pulled off the path and backed up into a space between a triangle of trees, with the car facing the path it traveled down. After the car shut down, two men emerged and went around to the trunk.

Adam opened the trunk to reveal the two canvas bags he and Felipe had brought with them from London. Both men unzipped their bags to reveal small caches of weapons. Adam took out his modified M4 rifle, while Felipe slung his M82A sniper rifle on his shoulder. After equipping themselves with pistols and plenty of grenades, and after checking their wand holsters, Adam shut the trunk and locked the car.

"I'm getting into cover on the near side, and you're going to your perch?" Adam confirmed with the Spaniard.

"Yep a few hundred meters to the west." Felipe added.

"Alright man, with any luck we don't fire a shot and I'll see you bright and early." Adam remarked.

"Likewise," Felipe added as the men went their separate ways, using the cover of dusk to get into their positions.

**23:00 GMT **

The evening at the Burrow had been fairly uneventful, save for the Weasley family trying to continue to re-arrange their beloved home back to its rightful state. Harry and Hermione had taken the liberty of venturing into the village to get dinner for the family as the house had been stripped of any foodstuffs by those who ransacked it. After a satisfying meal, the family plus Harry and Hermione took the rest of the evening to relax and enjoy each other's company.

Throughout the evening however, Harry could not help but have a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. He was hesitant to dismiss it, for his instincts had served him, Ron and Hermione well during the horcrux hunt. Much to her credit, Ginny noticed Harry's guarded demeanor and during the evening pulled him out to the porch to talk about it.

"What's wrong Harry?" Ginny asked after they were alone.

"Noth…" Harry tried to say.

"Harry." Ginny cut him off sternly, as if to say, 'Don't even think about telling me nothing's wrong.'

After a moment of silence Harry took a deep breath.

"I just…I don't know, I've just got a bad feeling like something bad is going to happen. But, with Voldemort gone, I just don't know why I'm feeling this way; it's all over isn't it?" Harry stammered, causing Ginny to wrap an arm around his shoulders.

"Harry," She began, "Voldemort is gone, and he will never come back. But there will always be evil people out there, magical or not, that will take lives. What's important Harry is that the prophecy has been fulfilled and if you want to be an Auror, you can do it on your own terms without some vision hanging over you." She told him softly.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that even though your courage and nobility is such an integral part of you, it's ok to let go, to get out of wartime mode for a bit." Ginny suggested.

A momentary pause fell between the young couple as Harry digested Ginny's advice. Finally after some time, Harry leaned in towards Ginny and kissed her softly.

"Thanks Gin, I guess it's going to take a little bit of time for me to 'get out of wartime mode.'" Harry replied with a smirk.

He held out his hand and pulled her up, and the couple reentered the house. Not long after, they had departed to bed, but while Ron slept peacefully, Harry was staring out the window expecting Death Eaters to emerge out of the heath. After an hour of his watch with nothing but the still nighttime landscape before him, he succumbed to his tired eyes and climbed into the camp bed, drifting off to sleep.

**01:30 GMT**

Felipe was off at the far end of the Weasley property atop the small hill which provided an excellent view of the house in every direction for several hundred meters. The past several hours had been rather quiet, and the only heat signatures he picked up on his thermal scope were that of an occasional animal on the prowl, and Adam, who was in cover in a small depression about a few hundred yards from the start of the wards.

Thankfully, Felipe thought to himself, the wards did not extend too far from the house, so that way he and Adam could provide close support if the need arose. Ever since he and Adam split up, Felipe had been silently praying that David's intel was wrong and that they could properly secure the house tomorrow and get Harry to Spain or America.

Felipe sighed, he called up Adam on the radio, "How are you doing down there?"

"_Don't think I'm fathering any kids for a while, my stones are getting crushed."_ Adam replied.

Felipe chuckled, leave it to Adam to bring some comic relief.

_"So tell me why we can't grab him tonight?"_ Adam asked.

"David's instructions were clear, remain in defensive positions for the night and make contact in the morning. Probably wants to see if the intel is any good before he gets Harry involved." Felipe replied.

_"Makes sense I guess."_ Adam remarked.

"Contact! Felipe hissed, quickly looking down the scope of his rifle as he saw new heat signatures pop up all around the property.

Felipe counted quickly and came to the realization that between two to three dozen men were surrounding the house.

_"Shit Felipe! What's the plan?"_ Adam's voice sounded over the radio.

Felipe quickly wracked his brain for any kind of plan that might work in this situation, but he couldn't come up with anything that wouldn't get him and Adam killed without making any significant dent in the number of attackers. The odds were stacked too heavily unless you were as reckless and insane as David Sirius Potter. Thinking of only one thing, Felipe pressed his transmit button,

"Hope and pray, that's all we can do."

A/N: Cliffhanger! Anyways I hope you liked the chapter, no promises as to when the next one will come out as my MBA studies are becoming more and more intense. Please leave a review if you have time, I always enjoy getting constructive feedback. NO FLAMES PLEASE!


	4. Men on Fire

A/N: Greetings once again from Greenwich Village on Manhattan Island in New York City! My MBA/JD studies are going well but alas keeping me from updating with frequency. Please bear with me my readers, I will do my best to pump out as much of this fic as I can! I hope you enjoy this chapter and as always, please leave a review after!

**A Phoenix in Exile **

Chapter 4

Men on Fire

"_To take __revenge__ is often to sacrifice oneself_" _Anonymous_

"_Shit Felipe! What's the plan?" _

"_Hope and pray, that's all we can do." _

**The Burrow**

**Ottery St. Catchpole, Devon, UK**

**Mary 4, 1998 **

**01:30 GMT **

It was silent. Inside the house, all slept peacefully under a clear and moonlit sky, their thoughts of war and of violence departed their minds. However, outside, three dozen armed men sought to crush that sense of security. From a ditch in defilade cover, and atop a hill overlooking the property, two potential defenders helplessly watched as the unknown assailants crept ever closer toward the house.

Felipe surveyed the scene with his scope atop the rifle and came to two conclusions, open fire and hope he and Adam could take them down, which would be highly unlikely given the numbers, or wait and see what the attackers' plan was and try to exploit a weakness or misstep. However, at that moment, something drew his attention on the far side of the house.

'_Chingadera,' _he swore.

* * *

**Earlier**

_ He was outside on a bright summer's day in a seemingly infinitely stretching open field of green grass._ _He turned and saw his beloved, her dazzling red mane of hair flowing in the wind as she ran toward him. He began to run to her, running as fast as his legs could carry him, but she seemed so far away. Suddenly the sky darkened and he heard a rumble of thunder in the distance before he heard a terrifying sound, _

_ HARRY! _

He awoke with a start, covered in a cold sweat and taking short and hasty breaths, as if he had been under some great physical exertion. In one fluid motion, he grabbed his wand and glasses from the nightstand, and after putting on his glasses, surveyed the darkened room. The loud and steady snores of his best mate sleeping soundly had a comforting effect as his breathing slowed and the tension subsided. Years of being constantly on edge would not allow him undisturbed sleep for quite some time.

Now wide-awake, he threw on the t-shirt at the foot of the bed, and made his way downstairs to the kitchen. Doing his best to avoid the squeakiest of the steps, he descended with little noise. Upon arriving in the dark and empty kitchen, he was unsure if he should fix himself some tea, or let the cool and breezy night clear his mind.

Choosing the latter, Harry slipped out the back door and made his way outside. He strode between one to two dozen yards from the house before plopping himself on the not yet dew laden lawn. Drawing his knees up to his chest, he sat listening to the wind rustle the newly grown leaves of the many trees surrounding the property.

Ever since he had defeated Voldemort, buried the last of his father's friends, discovered he had a twin brother, and rekindled his relationship with Ginny, he had not had a chance to think for himself.

The number of twists and turns his life had taken in the past two days put him at a crossroads. On one hand, Voldemort had been defeated once and for all, and while a few of his followers were on the run, the threat they posed was minimal. A great weight had been removed from his shoulders, a sense of liberation that he never felt before in his life, a feeling that things might be ok.

Yet a new mystery presented itself to the savior of Wizarding Britain, David Sirius Potter. Who his brother was, where his brother was, and what to make of the strange dreams he had of him now came to the forefront of Harry's mind.

Exhaling fully, he tried to refocus his thoughts on the piecemeal information that he had grasped from his brother's file, but was interrupted by the sound of the back door opening. Snapping his head back and drawing his wand, Harry turned around.

The moonlight illuminated her face and shone brightly on her fiery red hair, revealing an also awake Ginny Weasley striding to him. His heart fluttered, and he was stunned by how beautiful she looked, a look of concern affixed across her gentle face. He stood up and as she drew closer, he closed the distance between them and pulled her into a tight and loving embrace.

For several moments, the young couple stood that way, locked together as if no force on Earth could even hope to separate them. Finally, Ginny pulled back and looked into Harry's green eyes.

"Couldn't sleep?" she asked him.

"Yeah," he replied, "Sorry if I woke you, I just needed to…."

"Sort it all out?" Ginny offered.

"Something like that," he smiled weakly, as he took her hand and brought her down onto the lawn. They both sat next to each other with Harry placing his arm across her shoulders and pulling her closer to him while Ginny rested her head on his shoulder.

"I used to sneak outside a lot too," Ginny reflected, "Probably more so the year before I came to Hogwarts."

Harry nodded, while he had a mostly solitary childhood prior to his arrival at Hogwarts, Ginny was used to the company of her siblings, and a whole year without any other kids around must have been tough.

"Are you ok Harry?" Ginny asked sincerely after a brief silence.

Harry paused and stared up wistfully at the moon for a few moments before turning toward Ginny.

"Yes, I think I'm ok." Harry replied with some confidence.

The gravity of such a statement coming from Harry Potter would have been lost on anyone who did not know him. This was not lost on Ginny either as a bright smile appeared across her face. She drew closer to him and the young couple shared a brief but tender kiss.

Harry pulled back and stared into Ginny's eyes, "As cheesy as this may sound Ginny, I know I'm going to be ok so long as we're together. I may have not known much in the way of love, but I think I can say, confidently, that I love you Ginny."

"Harry…I…don't know what to say" Ginny stammered, her words failing her.

Suddenly a brilliant pulse of magic interrupted the still night air, sending shivers down Harry's spine.

* * *

**Meanwhile**

"Felipe come in! What the hell is going on up there?" Adam whispered into his mic.

"_They're outside! On the far side of the house!" _Felipe's voice sounded in Adam's earpiece.

"Yeah no shit, there's a whole bunch of them out there." Adam fired back.

"_No I mean the hermano, Harry, I think he's back there with the girl!" _ Felipe replied.

"Shit, any Tangos approaching." Adam inquired.

"_No, not yet, looks like they're headed for the front of the house." _

"Copy," Adam responded.

From the look of things, it appeared the enemy was forcing their hand. The longer they waited, the more likely they would discover Harry and the girl, both of whom were to be protected at all costs according to David's instructions.

"Prepare for frontal assault on my go." Adam instructed.

"_Roger" _Felipe replied.

Adam unclipped two flash bang grenades from his belt and was about to pull the pins when he felt a wave of magic pulse from the direction of the house.

* * *

**Inside the Burrow**

Bill Weasley awoke with a start. His years as a curse breaker along with the war made him a notoriously light sleeper, much to his wife's chagrin, yet not even she could stay asleep upon feeling the rush of magic which flowed through the house.

"Merde!" Fleur swore, "What was that?" She asked of her husband, grabbing her wand from the nightstand.

"Wards, powerful ones at that." Bill replied, snatching his wand and making his way out of his boyhood bedroom.

"Where are you going?" Fleur inquired.

"To see what the hell is going on," Bill replied hurriedly, "Come on, but stay behind me," he instructed, his wife nodding in compliance.

As they descended the stairs to the second floor Fred and George's door opened to reveal the twins wands at the ready.

"Did you feel that?" Fred and George chorused in unison.

"Yes," Bill replied tersely as he heard footsteps coming from above, with Charlie, Percy and Arthur Weasley joining the group.

"Wards, strong ones." Arthur issued between breaths.

"Where's Mum?" Bill asked of his father.

"Upstairs checking on Ron and Harry," Arthur replied, "Where are Hermione and Ginny?'

That question was interrupted by two simultaneous screams, one coming from the top floor and the other coming from the first.

"Ginny's missing!" Hermione yelled, running up the stairs towards the group.

"Harry's not here!" Ron and Mrs. Weasley called out as the descended the stairs.

"They're outside." Charlie posited solemnly.

Bill pulled back the curtains to reveal a scary scene developing on the front lawn. A group of three dozen or so armed men facing one. Before he could survey the scene further, a bright flash blocked his vision.

"EVERYONE DOWN!" Bill yelled as he dove for the floor.

* * *

**Outside **

The leader of the invaders placed his men in a semicircle around the front of the house, instructing them not to take immediate offensive action, as they needed the Potter boy alive and unharmed.

Felix Dubronte, a conniving Belgian in charge of the operation to capture Harry Potter, was confident that his plan would go without hitch. Break into the house, grab the two girls from the bedroom on the first floor, and use them as leverage to draw Potter out.

If all went well, he would be handsomely rewarded and perhaps be allowed to keep the brunette as his mistress, in due time she would come to like him. The redhead on the other hand, was to be brought to his boss along with Potter, preferably, but not necessarily, untouched.

Felix along with two of his men strode confidently toward the house, his team had long since taken down the weak and most likely hastily constructed perimeter wards and there appeared to be nothing standing between them and the house.

About ten paces from the front door an incredible wave of magical energy rushed forth and sent Felix and his associates through the air, knocking them back several yards. After a moment, he stood up and dusted himself off, his wand now withdrawn.

'_Alright Potter, I know you're here somewhere, this is your handiwork.' _ Dubronte thought to himself.

As if on cue, a ball of flame appeared about a dozen yards in front of Dubronte, which took the form of a man.

"Captain David Potter, how nice of you to join us." Dubronte sneered.

* * *

**Meanwhile**

Both Harry and Ginny quickly rose to their feet and faced the house, pulling out their wands, as they tried to determine the source of the magical burst.

"What's in the bloody hell was that Harry?" Ginny whispered to her boyfriend, her wand at the ready.

Harry was trying to sort out the wild mix of emotions and reactions in order to come up with the best response to the situation that now was developing in front of them. After examining the immediate area, it seemed that no one was around them so the next step became to determine the source of the pulse.

"Wards, encasing the house." Harry shot out as if he knew the answer all along. Doing his best not to show his surprise at how he came to such a quick conclusion, a voice echoed from the front of the house.

"_Captain David Potter, how nice of you to join us." _

* * *

David Potter emerged from the flames with nearly three dozen gun barrels pointed at him plus the cold stare of a deviant Belgian named Felix Dubronte. All was going according to plan, Felipe and Adam were in their positions and the house was warded airtight, now all that remained was to deal with Dubronte and his men.

"Captain David Potter, how nice of you to join us." Dubronte sneered.

"It's Major now actually." David fired back, taking a few steps toward his primary adversary.

"My heartiest congratulations," Dubronte remarked sarcastically, "But that's close enough."

"Better tell your men to put their guns away; they'll do no good against me." David suggested.

"We'll see about that." Dubronte replied, "Stand aside Potter, you know why we're here."

"Tell your men to drop their weapons and I'll give them safe passage." David offered ignoring Dubronte's words.

"I will do no such thing, you are outnumbered Potter, it is you who should be surrendering to me." Dubronte said incredulously.

"Last chance," David stated.

"To your death Major!" Dubronte saluted, standing aside as he motioned for all of his men to come forward. Once all were assembled, in firing positions, he gave the order and a storm of bullets rocketed towards the Major.

* * *

Throughout the exchange between David and Felix, Harry and Ginny crept around the side of the house along the boundary of the wards in order to get a better view of what was going on in the front of the house. Using the cover of the tall grass, they made their way to a spot where they could survey the now developing battle.

"_Last chance," David stated._

"Here we go. Any ideas?" Ginny whispered.

"To your death Major!" Dubronte called out.

Harry saw Dubronte's men organize themselves in a firing line and soon heard the explosions of bullets leaving their barrels.

'_I hope you know what you're doing David._' Harry thought to himself, as the potential instruments of his brother's demise flew toward him.

* * *

David Potter neither put up a shield nor even attempted to move out of the bullets' flight paths. Rather, all David did to defend himself was put his hand out as if he were directing a car to stop. Channeling his magic, David drew all of the energy out of the bullets and they slowed as they approached him coming to a dead stop midflight less than a yard away from him and they all fell to the ground in front of him as if they were harmless pinballs.

Throwing off his cloak to reveal a myriad of weapons secured to his body he yelled out a command,

"GO LOUD!"

Suddenly bright flashes of light illuminated the lawn and the battle had begun.

* * *

Both Felipe and Adam held fast in their positions watching as the wards encased the house with Dubronte and his men being thrown back by the sudden rush of energy. As soon as the wards went up they knew David wouldn't be far behind, and sure enough mere seconds later he appeared in his signature flame travel.

Since both men had experience with David on the battlefield, David's tactics were of some familiarity to them and this was shaping up to be one of his more traditional plans. Lure the enemy in with a false sense of your strength and then surprise them.

As Dubronte and David engaged in their verbal tête-à-tête, Felipe took one more survey of the field knowing that things were going to get hot soon. Looking back to where he originally saw Harry and the girl, he was stunned to not find them there. Frantically looking for their heat signatures he spotted them behind Dubronte's men in what appeared to be a hedgerow or an area of tall grass.

"Adam, they've shifted position." Felipe transmitted over the radio.

'_Where?_' Adam's voice came back.

"Hedgerow or tall grass area at your ten o'clock, maybe 50 meters from the Tangos and 75 from you." Felipe answered.

"_Copy, hopefully they're smart enough to stay out of this fight." _

"To your death Major!" Dubronte called out.

"Standby," Felipe transmitted.

"GO LOUD!" David's voice echoed.

Felipe saw Adam throw up two flash bangs and put the first Tango in his crosshairs. He inhaled and took the shot. After what seemed like ages, the bullet met its target dead on, sending the now lifeless body tumbling to the ground. In one fluid motion, Felipe cycled the bolt and got his next target in his scope.

* * *

After lobbing two flash bang grenades to get the enemy off balance, Adam stood up in the ditch only so that his head and upper torso were exposed. Seeing the enemy still dazed, he withdrew his wand from his wrist holster and fired off a few '_Confrigo'_ curses, meant to blast apart the enemy lines and separate them into smaller and more disorganized groups.

The explosions had their desired effect, as they struck in the core of where the enemy was grouped behind Dubronte. A myriad of limbs, some detached from their owners, flew in the air as the once formidable three dozen man force was split, with David charging in a frontal assault while he picked them off from behind, all while Felipe gave sniper support.

Still benefiting from the enemy's confusion, Adam rested his M4 on the top edge of the ditch and opened fire, his magically charged bullets shredding through the armor of the enemy forces.

From the way things were going at the outset, it appeared that this would be quite the rout. However, as Adam picked his targets he forgot about the two VIP's at the perimeter of the battle and that several of Dubronte's men were retreating in that very direction.

* * *

Bill Weasley knew of the 9th Special Forces Group and their tactics while he was in Egypt. The Americans soldiers in that unit were highly trained wizards who could kill using magical and muggle means. However, every tool that unit used was designed for one thing, precise deadly force.

The brilliant light of the flash bang was something he had seen before when Gringotts sent him to seminar outside of Alexandria where various weapons and equipment that had been improved with magic had been on display. He recalled the man from the American table telling him how the flash bang grenade worked and that the thrower could enchant it such that his teammates would not be blinded.

Getting all of his family on the floor and out of the light of the grenade would prevent them from being blinded, something they could not afford, especially if the effects lasted for a long while.

"Charlie, Percy, Dad, crawl downstairs with me, we'll see if we can get the wards down and get outside to find Harry and Ginny." Bill began, "Everyone else, get in one of the bedrooms and lock the door, stay away from the windows."

"But Bill," Ron interjected.

"Ron, you and the twins need to stay back and get everyone out if they breach the house." Bill snapped back.

"Right," he replied somewhat dejectedly.

"Boys please be careful," Molly offered as they began crawling on their bellies downstairs.

After their brief crawl, the elder Weasley males entered the kitchen, now hearing the gunfire outside.

"Seems to be all in the front of the house." Percy observed.

"I'm going to try and cut us a hole through the wards so we can get out the back door and into the orchard." Bill said to the group, "If all goes well the wards should stay up and we can get outside. You lot get near the windows and try to get a sense of what's going on outside, this is going to take some time." Bill finished.

As Bill set to work on cutting through the wards, his brothers and father each took a window and crouched low to see outside without being too exposed.

Upstairs, the remaining occupants of the house crowded into the master bedroom each silently wondering who was attacking and who was defending the house. Nevertheless, a cloud of fear hung over them as to wondering if Harry and Ginny were out of the main throws of the battle that raged outside.

* * *

Being somewhat farther back from the point at which the flash bangs detonated; Harry and Ginny were only briefly blinded and dazed. After recovering from those effects, Harry pulled Ginny onto the ground with him, taking cover as the several Confrigocurses were shot off, sending mounds of earth up into the air.

As they lay down on the ground, the adrenaline rush which usually filled Harry during times of battle was replaced by something quite different, fear. He quickly determined the source, and it was the thought of having the person he loved the most in his life being taken from him.

With a ferocity that demonstrated his love for the young woman he was atop of, Harry pressed his lips firmly on Ginny and after a brief moment of shock, she began to reciprocate. Unbeknownst to them a bright golden light encapsulated the young couple, subsiding only when their lips broke apart.

"I need to know Ginny," Harry began, "I love you so much…..we could die any minute….please I need to hear you…" Harry issued in bursts before Ginny placed her hand over his mouth.

"I love you more than anything Harry," Ginny replied softly yet firmly. "And we have not come this far to die now." Ginny added.

"I know," Harry started, "I just needed to know, to hear it from you."

"Not that I don't like you on top of me, but…"

"STAND UP! TOSS YOUR WANDS" A voice yelled from behind them.

* * *

As the flash bangs subsided, David began to channel his magic, his core producing its maximum output as the energy flowed throughout his body. In his palms, he formed two great orbs of fire and hurled them into the group of standing men.

The fireballs struck their intended targets dead on, but rather than igniting only the two bodies that were hit, the orbs shattered and spread their flames amid the group, lighting the ground and the clothing in and around the group of assailants.

Withdrawing his sword from its sheath across his back, David charged at the now splintered group. As he approached he emitted a yell that would strike fear into all who stood in opposition to him.

With impassioned precision David began to take down his foes, his fury knowing no bounds as he stepped into the fire, the flames only grazing but never harming their master. With quick thrusts he cut through the enemy armor as if it were warm butter, his face becoming sprayed by the blood of the newly deceased, and his ears filled with the moans and screams of the enemy.

He had no joy as he took the lives of these men, but the primal desire to protect himself and his family took precedence over strict adherence to peacetime ethics. He did not approve of mowing down an opponent with a firearm, dehumanizing the process of taking a life, only doing so when he absolutely had to.

As sword and master worked, the remaining men unscarred by the flames, bullets, or blade, began to retreat. Sensing victory was at hand, he saw no need to try and pick off the cowards from behind, but rather only to find Dubronte and dispatch of him in a proper duel.

Scanning the battlefield, he sought the enemy commander, but was interrupted by a voice pleading weakly in his mind.

'_David, help me.' _

* * *

Bill Weasley was trying as hard as he could to make some kind of progress in cutting through the wards, but was to this point very much unsucessful. These were not your typical protection wards, but something much stronger, something that would require a team of wizards to produce and take quite a while to execute the incantations.

Cursing to himself at his apparent failures, Bill called out to his brothers and father.

"What's going on out there?"

"Whoever this guy is, he's kicking some serious ass." Charlie interjected. "He just summoned fire and tossed it into the guys who tried to shoot him."

"It still begs the question as to who these people all are and why they picked here to attack." Percy added.

"The second part should be obvious; it must have been about Harry." Mr. Weasley replied.

"But none of Voledmort's followers carried guns…." Percy pointed out.

"Alright already I can barely think over here!" Bill snapped frustrated.

"Sorry son, any progress?" Mr. Weasley asked of his son.

"No," Bill replied dejectedly slumping to the floor against the door. "I've tried everything and not even a dent. Whoever designed these, meant for us not to get out until he wants us to."

"What do we do then?" Charlie asked somewhat desperately as the thoughts of Ginny and Harry out there in the crossfire came to the forefront of his mind.

"The only thing we can do," Bill replied, "Wait."

* * *

"STAND UP! TOSS YOUR WANDS" A voice yelled from behind them.

Harry looked behind him and could se e outlines of men standing just outside of the tall grass.

"STAND UP, THROW YOUR WANDS OUT!" The voice commanded, a thick French sounding accent becoming more obvious.

"What do we do Harry?" Ginny whispered.

"I dunno." Harry replied.

"LAST WARNING, GET UP, THROW YOUR WANDS, AND STEP OUT OF THE GRASS." The French sounding man commanded.

Harry helped Ginny up and took her hand in his, which as he did so a calmness and internal power surged within him, as if her touch energized his magic.

Confidently, Harry tossed his wand out towards the figures and nodded for Ginny to do the same. She held her wand in her hands, staring at it for a moment as if she was debating whether to jettison her only means of defending herself. Trusting in her boyfriend she likewise tossed her wand towards the source of the commands.

"Good, now come out." The voice ordered with decreased volume as the sounds of battle began to die down from in front of the house.

Harry led Ginny out of the grass and into the waiting reaches of Felix Dubronte and two of his men, who seemed visibly agitated, as if they wanted to run at a moment's notice, their weapons drawn on the couple.

Ahh Mr. Potter time is short, if you would like to keep your consort in the best of health I suggest you both come with me quietly.

"Never," Harry replied firmly, "You should just shoot us where we stand."

"While I admire your courage Mr. Potter I have no intention of sending you to your death, but if you will not come willingly, there are other methods." Dubronte sneered as in one fluid motion he withdrew his wand and simultaneously summoned Ginny to him, and stunned her, holding her now limp body around the neck.

At the moment they broke contact golden sparks flew from Harry's hand and he doubled over in a searing pain, his magic raging uncontrollably inside of him.

"Oh ho! Most interesting!" Dubronte laughed. "You know I would have preferred the brown haired one but I think I will enjoy making you suffer Potter."

Harry picked himself up and pointed at Dubronte, "Let her go." He said forcefully, fighting through the pain and trying to keep come modicum of control over his magic.

"Surrender Potter and I won't do this," Dubronte challenged as he pulled off his glove and placed his hand on Ginny's cheek.

Suddenly Dubronte's hand was engulfed in flames and he screamed, dropping Ginny to the ground and stared at his scorching hand, screaming in terror.

Seeing his chance, Harry released his magic as a golden wave erupted from his body, the shockwave encasing Ginny's body in a protective golden shield while lifting Dubronte and his associates into the air and driving them back several yards from him.

Harry staggered towards Ginny, his magic drained and now physically weak. He kneeled beside her unconscious form and reached out to touch her. His arms made their way through the golden shield and upon making contact with her, his magic recharged somewhat and the shield expanded to include himself.

While he felt some of Ginny's magic rushing to try to replenish his, it was not fast enough to stop the outflow into producing the protective shield. He was growing weaker and did not know how much longer he could keep it up.

"David, help me," Harry whispered weakly, begging his brother to come to his aid.

* * *

It appeared that the fight was turning into a rout. From Adam's spot in the ditch, it appeared that he and Felipe were doing a good job of keeping Dubronte's goons off of David with the trio convincing anyone still standing to retreat.

Chuckling to himself at David's methods, he discharged the empty magazine and secured a fresh one into the slot and slid the action back, ready to fire if need be.

Looking up he saw David making to put his sword back into its sheath but stopping suddenly. He snapped his head off towards where Felipe had last spotted Harry and the girl before darting in that direction.

"_El hermano, Harry, get to them, they're surrounded!'_ Felipe's voice came in over the radio, as Adam sprinted over towards the grassy area, firing at the stragglers who were trying to stop David.

* * *

'_David, help me.' _Harry's voice sounded weakly in his mind.

David quickly saw the golden shield and the silhouettes of Dubronte and his men a few meters away, the two goons picking themselves up from off the ground while Dubronte continued to writhe in agony. He drew his sword and ran as fast as his legs could carry them to the Dubronte and his two lackeys.

As he approached the now standing men, he heard gunfire behind him and men screaming, no doubt Adam and Felipe were picking off the stragglers as he made his advance. Yelling in fury, he swung his blade over his head and threw it, spinning end over end, at the two men who were now running away from him with all possible speed.

The sword stayed level through its flight as it struck the nearest man in the back sending him to the ground. The further man looked back in terror as he saw David raise his pistol.

David squeezed the trigger of his Walther P99 three times and in an instant, the bullets struck the running man in the back of the head, killing him instantly.

Stowing his sidearm, David approached the body of the first man to collect the sword from the fallen man's back and returned it to its sheath.

Glancing back, he saw Adam was tied up dealing with the last man as the two were locked in a fistfight. Glancing up towards the hill where he knew Felipe was perched, he could imagine Felipe looking down his scope and laughing, the elite sniper probably debating whether to take the shot and end it or to let Adam have the last kill.

David looked at the form of Felix Dubronte who was whimpering and clutching what remained of his charred hand. Clapping his hands, David approached the Belgian.

"You….." Dubronte said.

"Me, me, me who else?" David replied with a smirk.

"So….will you do me the pleasure…..end me." Dubronte said in bursts.

"Oh no, I'm not done with you yet Felix. We're going for a ride." David replied as he kicked Felix in the face with his boot, knocking the man out cold.

"Fucking Belgian prick." David said to no one in particular dragging the man by the scruff of his neck as he walked toward Harry.

* * *

Harry was very weak now and his magic was near depleted and most likely Ginny's as well. The shield protecting the couple was losing its intensity. Looking up he heard his brother's yell and the firing of bullets with the two men crumpling to the ground.

Relieved, Harry cut off the magical flow to the shield and fell to the ground, somehow managing to keep Ginny's hand in his grip as he faded into unconsciousness.

* * *

As David approached the now unconscious bodies of his brother and Ginny Weasley, David looked somewhat longingly at the couple. Releasing the still unconscious Dubronte he knelt down beside his brother and placed his hand on his brother's forehead atop of his scar.

"I didn't want this to be how we reunited Harry." David began, speaking softly. "One day, maybe I can join you in a life where this violence ends, but I don't know if I will make it past what I have to do." He said morosely.

"Take care of her Harry, without her you cannot live and without you neither will she, I only wish I knew that when….." He stopped himself, trying his best to refrain from choking up.

"Whatever you do," he said firmly, "Don't come after me, I love you too much to see your soul become as tarnished as mine." David finished, pressing his lips briefly to his brother's scar before standing back up.

"David!" The familiar voice of Adam Duritz called out from afar.

Looking over, he saw Adam running towards him. Withdrawing a parcel from inside his armor, he tossed it in Adam's direction.

"Catch!" David called out with a smile as the parcel sunk into Adam's outstretched hands.

Seeing that he had caught it, David grabbed Dubronte and concentrated his magic.

Suddenly, David launched into the air, a trail of smoke and flame flowing below him as if coming from the exhaust of a rocket. David soared off, his smoke trail tracing his path skyward and southward.

* * *

Adam was knocked off his feet by the intensity of David's method of departure. He picked himself up and stared up at the sky at David's flight path.

"Yeah well I guess I'll go fuck myself then!" Adam yelled up at the sky. Tucking the parcel into his armor, he looked up at the hill, and saw Felipe's green flares indicating that it was all clear in the immediate area.

He made his way over to where he spotted David previously and came upon two unconscious forms. Kneeling over them, he immediately recognized Harry and quickly recalled, based on the intel David provided previously, that the girl was Ginerva, 'Ginny' Weasley.

Waving his wand over the couple, he ran a few basic diagnostic charms to check for vitals along with the statuses of their magic. The results were quite shocking.

"_They ok?_" Felipe's voice sounded.

"Knocked out, magic depletion, they'll be alright, but that's not even the half of it."

"_Save it for when I get down there, you've got company. The wards have come down; four of them headed your way." _Felipe advised.

"Get over here fast then." Adam replied, as he stood seeing the figures approach him.

'_Oh yeah, thanks a lot David for leaving us to explain this mess.' _Adam thought to himself.

* * *

About a minute after Charlie declared that the attackers had been taken out, Bill felt the wards come down. In a split second, he jumped up from his seated position and reached for the back door. Upon feeling the knob turn in his hand, he motioned for his family to get up and they made their way over and out of the front door _Lumos_ charms adorning the tips of their wands.

The scene before them was disturbing, in the bright moonlight they saw bodies scattered all over the lawn, some with missing limbs, and the sparkle of bloodstains scattered in the grass.

Soon after, the foul stench of burnt flesh filled their nostrils, and each reacted by putting their arms over their noses in an attempt to prevent any more of the stench from reaching their noses.

"Bloody hell!" Charlie exclaimed as the foursome came upon the shallow craters in the lawn.

"Confrigo, or maybe Bombarda," Percy remarked as they walked on further.

"HEY!" Arthur yelled and took off running toward a standing figure at the far end of the lawn.

Instinctively the boys withdrew their wands and ran alongside their farther toward the figure.

"Relax, if I meant you guys any harm you'd be dead already." The man said as they approached.

By his voice, Bill could tell the man was an American, probably mid-twenties.

"Special Forces?" Bill asked of the figure raising his wand light.

"Correct," he replied, stepping into the moonlight, revealing a man in his mid-twenties of about 6 foot four inches, well built, with black dreadlocks, well armed. "Lieutenant Adam Frederick Duritz, 9th Special Forces Group United States Army, at your service." He issued.

"What the hell happened here?"

"Who were those guys?"

"Have you seen my sister and Harry?"

"Hey, hey one at a time." Adam replied, overwhelmed by the quick succession of questions.

"I think the most important question is have you seen my daughter and Harry?" Mr. Weasley asked of Adam.

"Harry and Ginerva err Ginny, are fine, they've been knocked out but are not injured, they're in the grass over there." Adam pointed back over his shoulder. "But I wouldn't try moving them just yet."

"Why not?" Charlie fired back indignantly.

"Ahh well you see," Adam stammered, '_Here comes bombshell number one of the evening, where's Felipe?'_ He thought to himself.

"Felipe, there you are!" Adam greeted his colleague, who was approaching the group.

"Who are you?" Percy asked Felipe, raising his wand light to reveal a six foot three man also in his mid to late twenties with a head full of very short black hair.

"Felipe Juan Pablo Alfonso de Todos los Santos de Borbón y de Grecia, Commandant, Spanish Army." Felipe stated.

"Show-off," Adam remarked, rolling his eyes.

"So what are an American, a Spaniard and a score of dead corpses doing on my front lawn?" Mr. Weasley asked of the two military men.

"You know that's a great question, one that Felipe can answer while I bring our car around." Adam replied, darting up the lane.

"Hey!" Felipe called out to his friend who was already halfway up the lane.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to check on my daughter." Mr. Weasley said to Felipe.

"Yes of course, follow me Señor Weasley." Felipe instructed as he led the group over to where Harry and Ginny lay.

"So you were the sniper then eh?" Bill asked of Felipe pointing to the rifle hanging on his back.

"Oh, yes I was on the hill there." Felipe pointed back toward the far end of the property.

"So who was the third man?" Charlie asked of the Spaniard.

"The third man, David Potter, Harry's hermano, err I mean brother." The Spaniard replied.

"Makes sense," Percy replied.

Upon seeing the figures lying in the grass, Mr. Weasley rushed over to his daughter's side, kneeling over her as he put his hand on her forehead and waving his wand over her. After he finished with Ginny, he repeated the same process for Harry.

"They'll be fine, but we better get them inside, Bill take Harry..." Mr. Weasley instructed as he began to lift his daughter up.

Suddenly as Ginny's hand let go of Harry's, their bodies began convulsing and sparks flew out of their hands.

"What's wrong with them?" Mr. Weasley asked frantically.

"Basta!" Felipe yelled as he pushed his way to Harry's body and lifted his arm up so his hand was touching Ginny's. As contact was established, the convulsing and sparks stopped as quickly as they began.

"Ay dios mio!" Felipe gasped as he took to one knee and made the sign of the cross.

"What the bloody hell was that?" Charlie asked after a moment of silence as the group looked towards Felipe who grew quite nervous under their stares.

"Well, ahhh you see, Ginny and Harry have well…" Felipe began, "I ahh think it would be best if we had this discussion with everyone and ahhh perhaps with some alcohol nearby." Felipe stammered.

The Weasley men looked together trying to decide if they should force it out of Felipe before Mr. Weasley spoke, "So long as there are no serious threats to their health I see no harm in waiting for everyone to hear it."

"I assure you, they will be fine in due time." Felipe said to the group, "I think it would be best if we levitate them to a bed inside."

Nodding at the Spaniard's suggestion, Percy pointed his wand at the couple and levitated them, slowly guiding them back towards the house as the group followed.

Just as they were about to re-enter the house, Adam pulled up in the BMW and parked it abeam the front entrance to the house. Getting out of the car, he joined Felipe at the rear of the group as they all made their way back into the house.

"Where should I put them?" Percy asked.

"Ginny's room is the closest." Charlie suggested.

The group followed Percy and the unconscious levitated couple as he guided them into Ginny's bedroom and deposited them on the bed.

Suddenly a great force, akin to a gust of wind, blew Percy out of the bedroom and shut the door in his face.

Percy tried to force the door open, but to no avail. "Why won't it open?" He asked Felipe and Adam.

"Their magic apparently doesn't want them disturbed." Felipe replied.

"You mean to tell me we're expected to leave my baby sister and her boyfriend alone?" Bill fired at them incredulously.

"Not to be disrespectful, but I think they are too exhausted to do anything else but sleep." Adam offered, but his comment did nothing to assuage Bill's concerns.

"Easy now son," Mr. Weasley said to Bill, "There's nothing we can do."

"I'll get the others," Percy offered as he ascended the stairs.

"Felipe and I will clean up outside and secure the perimeter, and then we'll have a discussion." Adam offered.

"I'm coming with you." Bill directed.

"You know how to use one of these?" Adam tossed his M9 Berretta pistol to Bill who upon catching it dropped the magazine, checked it was full, reinserted it, pulled the slide and cocked it.

"Quite well actually." Bill retorted.

"Good, back in a bit." Adam replied as the trio made their way back outside.

* * *

**An Hour Later**

Bill, Felipe, and Adam returned to the house after they had taken care of matters outside.

They disposed of all the bodies and shell casings, returned the lawn to good shape, re-established stronger wards, and secured the lone prisoner who was still knocked out from his fight with Adam.

When they entered the kitchen, they found only Arthur Weasley sitting alone at the kitchen table. Upon the trio's arrival, he stood to greet them. "

Well Adam, Felipe, please forgive me for not introducing myself, I'm Arthur Weasley." Arthur said, holding out his hand as they both shook it. "And please allow me to thank you for what you both have done tonight."

"It was nothing sir, sorry about the condition of your property, but us and Bill managed to get everything back to the way it was." Adam offered.

"Yes well thank you boys, and while you're in my house please call me Arthur."

"Alright then Arthur," Felipe replied with a warm smile.

"Now I've gathered everyone into the living room and told them about the ground rules, both of you have the floor to speak and not be interrupted until you are done, then if you can answer questions you think are appropriate." Arthur informed the two men who nodded.

Arthur led the group into the room where upon Felipe's entry, Hermione and Fleur immediately rose and curtsied.

"Fleur?" Felipe asked in disbelief.

"Felipe! Merde! It's been ages!" Fleur ran and hugged the Spaniard.

"You two know each other?" Bill inquired.

"Yes Bill, my father was ambassador to magical Spain when I was younger." Fleur answered.

"And the magical government in Spain is headed by Felipe's father, King Juan Carlos I." Hermione continued. "Felipe is the Crown Prince of Spain, next in line to the throne."

"Wow, she's quick that one." Adam remarked

"Yes, she is right but please, none of this Prince stuff, I'm just Felipe." Felipe replied.

"Gee that sounds like someone we know George." Fred said to his twin.

"Indeed Fred, I think we know a 'just Harry'." George replied, earning a chuckle from the Weasleys. Felipe and Adam simply nodded, inferring it was some inside joke regarding the younger Potter.

"Well gentlemen, you have the floor." Mr. Weasley stated as everyone save for Felipe and Adam sat.

"Where to begin, well I think it's best to start with…." Adam began.

* * *

A/N: Ask and ye shall receive. I am in the midst of a busy summer session of work and my MBA/JD studies at NYU. July and August will be freer months for me so expect an update or two at least before September. Hope you liked the chapter. PLEASE REVIEW AND NO FLAMES!


	5. Revelations

A/N: Hello Readers! As the dog days of summer roll on in New York City, I am hard at work in my graduate studies. It is with great pleasure that I also announce that I will be living in Madrid, Spain for a few months beginning in September and returning to the US before Christmas. My employer (who is paying for a good chunk of my studies) is having me oversee/train folks in our new Madrid office. It is my hope that during my stay I'll be able to churn out a chapter or two when I'm not working/travelling. Anyways enough of my ramblings, here's Chapter 5!

**A Phoenix in Exile **

Chapter 5

Revelations

"_You have to know the past to understand the present.__"- _Dr. Carl Sagan

* * *

"_Well gentlemen, you have the floor." Mr. Weasley stated as all save for Felipe and Adam sat. _

"_Where to begin, well I think it's best to start with…." Adam began. _

**The Burrow**

**Ottery St. Catchpole, Devon, UK**

**May 4, 1998 **

**03:30 GMT **

All but two of the occupants of the Burrow were assembled down in the living room, listening in earnest to the two foreigners who had but only a few hours ago helped to stave off an assault on the Weasley home.

The two who were not there, they were fast asleep, hands clasped together, with a strong field of magic encasing the room in which they were resting. Something had happened to the young couple earlier that evening, something wonderful, and while neither of them consciously knew what had happened to them, their magical and unconscious selves knew all too well.

* * *

_**Beyond the Infinite **_

Harry opened his eyes, but immediately squinted and began blinking fervently so as to allow his eyes to become accustomed to the brightness of the sun which was illuminating the surrounding landscape.

After a few moments, Harry opened his eyes fully and examined the area around him. He was in the middle of a large plain, with short green grass stretching far and wide. Looking up at the sky, he saw a smattering of puffy white clouds against a tranquil blue, the sun shining brightly overhead.

'_Where am I?' _Harry thought to himself, yet immediately after a vague recollection this scene crossed his mid.

_He was outside on a bright summer's day in a seemingly infinitely stretching open field of green grass._ _He turned and saw his beloved_

"Ginny!" He called out, remembering his dream from earlier with memories of the subsequent attack flowing to the front of his mind.

"I'm here," a soft voice sounded from behind him.

Turning around Harry gazed at approaching figure of Ginny, but was breathless as he took in her beauty. Her red hair flowed down her back and was illuminated by the bright sun overhead, giving it a golden hue. The white robes that covered her gave her the appearance of an angel.

Closing the distance between them, he wrapped her in his arms, "My angel,"he whispered into her ear.

After a few moments, Harry pulled back slightly and gazed into her chocolate brown eyes before his lips touched hers in a chaste but loving kiss.

"Where are we?" Ginny asked of Harry.

"Dunno, but this place….I think I saw it in a dream I had before the attack." Harry replied.

"Merlin Harry, the attack on the Burrow! We've got to get out of here, see if everyone is ok, and…" Ginny fired off in a panic.

'_Come to the tree' _a soft voice inside Harry's head commanded, and based on the way Ginny stopped speaking she no doubt had heard it too.

Looking over his shoulder, he spotted a tall tree atop a small hill, its thick set of leaves shading the hilltop from the sun.

"Shall we?" Harry offered his hand out to Ginny.

"You mean go up there?" Ginny replied hesitantly.

"Not sure we have any other choice." Harry responded as he gazed up at the hill,.

After a moment, Ginny took her boyfriend's hand in his, and the barefooted couple clothed in white strode to their destination.

* * *

**The Burrow Living Room**

"I think it's best to start with explaining who it was that tried to attack you all tonight." Adam began, noting everyone's collective nods.

"If you thought Voldemort was the only enemy out there, then I'm afraid you're mistaken. These men were a part of an international organization, whose mission is quite simple, world domination." Adam continued.

"Isn't it always," Rom remarked, earning a nudge in the ribs from Hermione for the interruption, which drew a muffled cry of pain from Ron and small chuckles from the others.

"True," Adam noted with a small smile. "To be clear however, these guys do not discriminate, muggle or magical, human or creature, anyone who stands in their way is subject to slaughter."

"These are not your typical blood-purists, they hold no regard for that sort of thing." Felipe added, "Conquest is their goal, achieved mainly though destabilizing both the magical and muggle worlds."

"The organization is comprised of wizards and muggles alike, along with some magical creatures, mostly vampires and a few dozen werewolves, who operate in cells across the globe. Europe, Africa, the Americas, Asia, suffice it to say they're everywhere. These loose pockets they use to their advantage, engineering continual hit and run style attacks to generate more followers to the point where they can amass a force large enough to cause major damage and possibly government takeovers." Felipe stated.

"Over the past few years, they've has been losing ground as forces from around the globe have been launching offensives against their operations. David's and my unit, the Ninth Special Forces Group, has been the most successful, as we've dealt them serious blows in Europe and North Africa." Adam continued. "Suffice it to say David is probably at the top of their list in terms of individual enemies, which brings me to tonight's attack/"

"Felix Dubronte, the man in charge of the unit tonight, he's a Belgian and one of the organization's lieutenants, meaning he's pretty high up the food chain. He was most likely under orders to capture Harry and use him as leverage to get to David." Adam surmised to the stunned audience.

"And the name of this organization?" Bill Weasley questioned.

"La Mano Neg …err The Black Hand," Felipe replied.

"Excuse me," Hermione interjected, "But there's one thing I don't understand. How did they know where Harry was?"

"An excellent question, but is one that can be answered simply." Adam replied. "Voldemort, unknowingly so, was working for the Black Hand."

"Wait a minute, what do you mean by that?" Bill replied incredulously, "Voldemort working for someone else? I mean that can't be true, he's about as close to a self-serving sadist as it comes."

"While I can't speak to the latter part, I assure you that operatives infiltrated Voldemort's inner circle and was subtly providing assistance and also exercising some control over your self-described Dark Lord." Adam answered. "If you think about it all that would be required is for some of Voldemort's followers to be reporting back to the Hand and keeping them apprised of the situation. Moreover, where did you think Voldemort got so many 'followers' so quickly? "Adam posited.

"Alright but still, let's just suppose he succeeded, what's to stop him marching into France and the like, perhaps against the wishes of the Black Hand?" Bill replied.

"Without going into too much classified intelligence, let me just say that the one who heads the Hand has the power to easily vanquish Voldemort, horcruxes or otherwise." Adam stated.

"And who exactly heads this so called Black Hand?" Charlie Weasley asked of the foreigners.

"We don't exactly know," Felipe answered.

"Only one person outside of the Hand and its allies has seen the head man and lived to tell the tale," Adam added, "David, and all he included in his report was that he is without a doubt the most powerful wielder of magic on Earth."

"But if he's so powerful, why doesn't he just take over everything by himself?" Ron piped up.

"Think about it Ronald, even one man no matter how powerful can be eventually defeated, especially if the task is to conquer the world, Harry just proved that with Voldemort. If this man is to succeed, having an army already in a position to conquer the world used in tandem with his power or merely the threat of his power, would bring the world to his subservience." Percy posited.

"Your brother exactly right, all he needs is to demonstrate to the world that it is pointless to resist by using both his army and magic." Felipe replied.

"Thankfully, his armies have been on the retreat, fleeing back into Central and Eastern Europe over the past few years, but they have had some successes…." Adam trailed off.

"What do you mean?" Bill inquired.

"Well it appeared Britain would fall for a time, and also there was…uh" Adam stammered, struggling to find the words.

"There was an attack in the United States…"Felipe began.

"And suffice it to say we lost a lot of good people." Adam issued quickly adding softly, "David more so….but that's his story to tell, not mine." Adam finished, with a tone indicating he did not wish to discuss the topic further.

There was a moment or two of silence as everyone attempted to process all of the information they had been given by the foreigners. Finally, Hermione broke the silence.

"I'm sorry," Hermione began, "But we didn't exactly arrive at an answer to my question from before, how did the men tonight know where to find Harry?"

"If what they're saying is true and Voldemort's followers were in league with this group, it's not much of a jump to assume they passed information about Harry and us onto their colleagues." Percy replied, drawing silent consensus from around the room.

"What I still don't understand is how we never heard of any of this? I mean if there were a global threat to magical societies, one would think the International Confederation of Wizards would have raised some type of alarm." Bill thought aloud.

"Ay, the ICW." Felipe groaned.

"What about it?" Hermione questioned.

"The ICW has been defunct for almost two decades now." Fleur answered.

"Wait, how is that possible?" Percy asked, shocked.

"The ICW was disbanded by Britain, who had the power to do so as one of its founding member, after a resolution was passed by the rest of the body that provided for greater equality among magical creatures and wizards along with a commitment to end blood purity bigotry." Fleur began.

"Your Wizengamot voted for Britain to use its power to dissolve the ICW, which in turn forced Britain into virtual political isolation. It is the reason why you have no foreign embassies or diplomatic corps and most likely why you did not receive any intelligence or help in defeating your Dark Lord." Felipe finished.

"Merlin," Percy gasped.

"Indeed, it is sad; Britain is an outcast among the magical world when it was the birthplace of magic." Fleur added.

"How do you know so much about this Fleur?" Bill asked of his wife, putting his arm around her shoulders and drawing her close.

"They don't know? You never told them Fleur?" Felipe asked of her.

"Told us what?" Bill asked, with a worried tone.

"Papa, my father, he has been involved in government for a long time, it is how I know Felipe, and well…"Fleur stammered.

"Her father's has been the Foreign Minister for the French Magical Government for nearly five years now." Felipe finished for her.

"My goodness! A foreign official was in my house!" Molly gasped in shock.

"Fleur why didn't you tell me?" Bill asked his wife, some hurt discernible in his tone.

"I would have told you all if I could, but Papa made me swear not to!" Fleur replied quickly.

"Why would he do that Fleur, surely he didn't think we would…" Bill asked of his wife.

"Non, nothing like that, it's just that, well, a few weeks before the wedding when I was home in France, one evening my father received a visitor. It was very late and I only got a quick look at his face, one that I forgot about until earlier today when I saw it again." Fleur rambled somewhat frantically.

"Wait, love, start at the beginning." Bill said calmly and soothingly.

"Ok," Fleur started again, "As I was saying, it was before the wedding when I was back home. I couldn't sleep and went to the kitchen for some tea when I heard someone come out of the fireplace in the foyer. I took my wand and headed there when I heard Papa come out of his study and took the stranger in, but then just as he was walking in with Papa, he turned and looked at me. It was only for a moment, but Papa noticed and I could tell he was upset I saw his guest." Fleur recounted.

"A little while later I heard the man leave and Papa came into the kitchen, he made me swear that I would not tell anyone who I saw, and more importantly Papa said I could not tell any of you what he did for the government." Fleur finished.

"Who was it you saw?" Ron questioned.

"Harry's brother, David, I am sure of it, especially after seeing his picture at Hogwarts." Fleur replied.

"That bloke's everywhere ain't he? Ow!" Ron quipped as Hermione nudged him for his comment.

"Ha! You wouldn't know the half of it." Adam chuckled.

After a few moments of quiet, Molly Weasley broke the silence.

"There's still one thing we still haven't talked about, what has happened to my daughter and Harry?" Mrs. Weasley asked of the foreigners, somewhat sternly.

"Well we were getting to that, you see…" Adam began.

* * *

_**Beyond the Infinite **_

As the young couple strode towards the tree atop the hill, they began to discern a lone figure that appeared to be sitting in a chair facing Harry and Ginny.

"You reckon that's the source of the voice?" Ginny asked of Harry.

"Seems likely," Harry replied.

As they approached the foot of the small hill, the figure rose from the chair. He was tall yet older man who was dressed in similar white robes as Harry and Ginny with a long and silver head of hair.

"Come along now, no need to be shy, you're in no danger here." He called to them.

Harry looked briefly to Ginny, whose expression indicated that they should follow the man's instructions. Slowly they began their walk up the small hill. As they approached the man, he bowed before them.

"At long last, it is an honor to see you both." The old man said, bowing before them.

"Who are you, and where are we?" Ginny asked pointedly.

"Ah yes my dear Ginerva, always to the point you are." The old man remarked with a smile. "I suppose it would be rude of me not to introduce myself as I already well know who you both are; I am Merlin, Prince of the Enchanters and Keeper of Light Magic." Merlin stated.

Both Harry and Ginny were stunned and could not find the words to speak.

"To be expected indeed," Merlin said to himself, "But my dear Ginerva as to your second question, it is unanswerable since the human mind cannot comprehend it. Suffice to say you could say we are beyond infinity, or as your brother, David, likes to call it Beyond the Infinite." Merlin finished.

"Wait, you've met my brother? He's been here?" Harry asked of Merlin.

"Indeed I have Harry, he has been here a handful of times to learn from me the magic which can help him restore peace to the magical world, magic which I hope to teach to you and Ginerva in the future." Merlin replied.

"So you know what my brother is up to?" Harry inquired.

"Indeed I do Harry, but as fond as I am of your brother you both were not brought here to talk about him." Merlin said to the teens, a hint of sternness in his voice. "We need to discuss what has happened to you both over the past few hours. What was the last thing the both of you remember?" He asked of them while conjuring to leather wing backed chairs, matching the one he was previously sitting in and motioned for them to sit.

"Well," Ginny began as both she and Harry sat down facing Merlin, "Harry and I were outside the Burrow talking when a group of men appeared and were going to attack the house." Ginny began, "Then Harry's brother arrived and was fighting them off when some of the men spotted me and Harry." Ginny recounted.

"Then they had us surrender our wands and their leader stunned Ginny and held her hostage as he tried to get me to come with him, but then well, that's when things got strange." Harry recalled.

"Tell me what happened," Merlin encouraged Harry.

"I'm not entirely sure," Harry began, "When they took Ginny, my magic surged and it was very painful. However, the most shocking thing was when the man who took Ginny touched her; his hand was on fire. It's a bit hazy after that, but somehow I was able to cast some kind of shield charm to protect Ginny and when I grabbed her hand became one, her magic flowed into me." He finished.

"Extraordinary!" Merlin gasped, "You Potters never cease to amaze me with what you can do."

"So what does this mean exactly?" Ginny asked, trying to understand Harry's portion of the story.

"Well you two share something that only very few people have in the history of magic, you've been bonded!" Merlin said to the young couple, with a grin stretched across his face while confusion plastered the teens' faces.

"Bonded? What exactly does that mean?" Harry inquired.

"You two have forged a Soul Bond, meaning that your souls and magic has found a mate so perfect that it cannot be bear to be apart from the other. They are extremely rare, for humans are inherently imperfect, meaning that level of perfection is nearly impossible to come across except in rare circumstances." Merlin rattled off.

"So what you're saying is…." Ginny began, grabbing Harry's hand tightly.

"Essentially you both are one, forever joined, married if you will." Merlin answered.

Silence descended on the group as Harry and Ginny looked at each other, trying to grasp what Merlin had just told them.

Harry was stunned, he knew he had tremendous feelings for Ginny, even going out on a limb and confessing his love to her, but how would Ginny react? While Harry hadn't had many choices in his life, Ginny was quite independent and strong-willed, qualities that he loved about her, but ones that might not take too kindly to being informed she was bonded to one man to the rest of her life without her consent.

"Ginny," Harry began, taking both of her hands in his and staring into her chocolate brown eyes, "I love you more than anything and I'll understand if you don't want this, we can find a way…."

"Harry," Ginny cut him off, "I meant what I said earlier, I love you, and while yes this is a shock I can't say I'm disappointed."

"Ever since that kiss in the Common Room after the Quidditch match, I've felt an emptiness whenever I am not around you, a longing I've never felt with anyone else, and this past year even more so." Ginny continued, "Being bonded to you Harry and knowing that you are mine and I am yours until the day I die makes me nothing but happy and I would never dream of leaving your side." She finished, leaning in and placing a chaste and tender kiss on her now bondmate's lips.

"Marvelous, simply marvelous" Merlin said gleefully as he looked at the young bonded pair. "You two are destined for great things, and your bond will only intensify as time goes on, but alas there is still more to discuss before we part…"

* * *

**The Burrow Living Room**

"So you're saying my daughter and Harry have become Soul-Bonded?" Molly Weasley asked of the foreigners, shocked, after the foreigners had explained their theory behind the strange events surrounding Harry and Ginny.

"If that's true it's incredible," Hermione interjected, "Soul Bonds are incredibly rare, as they require the couple to be an absolutely perfect match for one another." The bright Witch concluded excitedly.

"Wait, so what exactly does this mean for my sister and Harry?" Charlie Weasley asked.

"That they are a married couple who are bonded for life." Adam issued quickly, as if saying it faster would make things better off for him.

While shock descended the room initially, the Weasley brothers, save for Fred and George who were amused by the news, shot daggers at the two foreigners. Molly was still in shock; Arthur had a stoic and pensive look upon his face, while Hermione and Fleur were smiling ear to ear.

"My baby married at sixteen, nearly seventeen," Molly gasped, trying to grapple with the stunning news regarding her youngest child and only daughter.

"I understand that you are her brothers and you only want what is best for your sister, but this is not something that can be undone." Felipe said to the agitated of the Weasley brothers.

"If in fact Ginny and Harry have been bonded," Hermione began, "and it seems likely that it is the case, then it's something we should happy about, for it means that they were meant to be." The bright witch finished.

Silence once again descended upon the Burrow's living room as the occupants digested the heavy words Hermione had just issued.

"Ginny and Harry have been blessed with a tremendous gift, which out of all that has happened over the last few years, is nothing short of beautiful and fantastic. While the news of this evening has come as a shock to us, it should be welcomed news for this house and the only important thing is Ginny and Harry's happiness. So long as their bond brings them happiness, I can think of no reason why any of us would begrudge their union." Arthur Weasley finished with a soft yet firm tone indicating to his sons that there was to be no further conversation on the matter.

After a yawn from Ron, it became clear that returning to bed and securing some more rest was necessary.

"Well then I think that's enough for now," Arthur stated, "I think we all should return to bed and get some rest; we can discuss this further later today." The Weasley patriarch finished, rising from the sofa and taking his wife's hand in his.

"Can I offer you gentlemen a place to sleep?" Molly asked the foreigners.

"Thanks but we'll probably be up for most of the night keeping watch." Adam replied.

Molly debated whether to insist but instead nodded and departed upstairs with her husband.

One by one, the remaining members of the Weasley family made their way upstairs with Ron and Hermione trailing and holding hands, signaling they were intending to sleep together as a result of Hermione being locked out of Ginny's room.

Adam and Felipe made their way outside and walked over to the silver BMW sedan. Adam popped the trunk with his wand and the two men began to remove some of their armor and stow some of their equipment, keeping only their wands and pistols, and changing into civilian attire. Once they were finished, Adam shut the trunk, and with the envelope he received from David in hand, opened the driver's side door and climbed into the car while Felipe followed suit to his left, taking the front passenger seat.

Adam turned the key in the ignition to turn on the battery and turned on the interior lights. He tore open the manila package and poured out the contents into the center console.

Out of the envelope came the following: a CD in a clear plastic case with 'Play Me' written in black marker on its top label, two British Passports, a few documents, an ornately decorated golden key, and lastly a small envelope with a wax seal addressed to 'Harry.'

Felipe took the CD out of its case and inserted it into the CD player. After a few moments David's voice came out of the speakers.

_Felipe and Adam, if you are hearing this, then my plan worked and we have dealt the Hand a serious blow this evening. I knew they wouldn't pass up the opportunity to capture my brother the very day following Voldemort's defeat when his guard would be at its weakest. If they knew where he was, they would go all in to try to nab him. I found a way to get the Weasley home's location into their hands and then established the protective wards earlier today to ensure they'd never be able to breach the house. _

_ I cannot thank you both enough for your help my brothers in arms, and I thank you for your unwavering trust in me as I try to complete this mission however little chance of success it may have. What is most important is that my brother be kept safe and out of the grasp of the Hand. I cannot afford to fail Harry as I failed….anyway, it is time that my brother knows of not only his heritage, but also of the power he possesses. Take my brother as soon as possible to Gringotts bank and ask to see Gormuk, and be sure to have my brother present the golden key included in the envelope._

_Knowing Harry he will want to join me in this fight, even though he hardly knows anything about me, he has an innate desire to vanquish evil. Although it is my preference that he remain out of this affair for his own safety and for the safety of who I presume to be his future bondmate, it is unlikely that you'd be able to convince him otherwise. If he wishes to join in this fight, then he and his bondmate must first unlock their powers and be trained to use them. Once the Bonding has begun, they will be inseparable for a time until they complete the process, which should force her parents' hands in the matter. _

_ After affairs are settled in England and should he wish to join the fight, take Harry to Boston to meet Uncle Ted who will make the proper arrangements for Harry and his bondmate for their training. I have left instructions on how to contact Uncle Ted along with some other pertinent information for you both to examine at your leisure. _

_ Please be sure to deliver my letter to Harry and have him read it as soon as practical, it will save you both from having do to a lot of explanation that is best done by me. _

_ There will be hard times ahead for me my brothers, in fact even though the endgame may be on the horizon, it will be a difficult journey there, and there is no telling when my magic will begin to fail me. I can feel myself getting weaker, and the potions are having a difficult time of keeping my stamina up. I am running against the clock and the only way this ends is with His defeat at my hand, or my eventual death. I am a dead man walking; only her soul can save me, and it must be taken back from His clutches. _

_ I hope that I will be able to see you both again in peace and health, but if I do not know that I have the utmost love and affection for the both of you. Perhaps in another life we would have never been touched by the tides of war and death. Please watch over my brother and his bondmate, may they have the happiness that she and I were denied. _

Adam turned off the CD player noting the end of the recording and looked over to Felipe, who had bowed his head in solemnity. Gathering the contents of the envelope, Adam placed them back inside and turned the car off, leaving the two men in darkness.

"I think we need to be the first ones to talk with Harry," Adam said to the Spaniard.

"Why don't you rest in the car, I'll keep watch inside and wait for the door to unlock." Felipe replied, to which Adam nodded handing the Spaniard the envelope.

Felipe exited the car, shut the door behind him, and headed for the house, while Adam pulled the lever to recline the seat and closed his eyes, letting sleep overtake him.

* * *

**Beyond the Infinite**

"You both will have to learn how to unlock and control the great powers that you have been given in due time." Merlin instructed the bonded pair.

"And how will we do that?" Ginny asked of the great wizard.

"I assure you Ginerva you will have capable help." Merlin replied, "I sense some difficult times ahead for you both, a great darkness threatens your world and the lone light stopping it grows weaker and weaker, I'm afraid he doesn't have much time left."

"Who doesn't have much time left, what darkness?" Harry asked with concern.

"Your brother needs you Harry; he will die without both of your help." Merlin motioned to Harry and Ginny, "But I'm afraid our time is up, so I must bid you adieu, but we will see each other again soon." The elder wizard issued quickly, leaping up from his char and disappeared on the spot.

Looking behind them, Harry and Ginny saw that what was once a calm and clear sky had turned dark and stormy with rumbles of thunder now coming from above.

"Harry what's going on?" Ginny asked with some panic.

"I don't know…"Harry trailed off as a twister touched down only several yards away from them, its strong winds pulling them towards it.

"Hold onto me Ginny!" Harry called out to her as they tried to fight the twister's grasp but were only being drawn into the swirling wind tunnel.

"HARRY!" Ginny screamed as the bonded couple was sucked into the twister and lifted off the ground.

* * *

**Aachen, Germany**

**May 4, 1998 **

**04:15 GMT**

A bright streak of flame crossed the border of Belgium into Germany and descended into the outskirts of city of Aachen. A disused warehouse on the outskirts of town was the destination of the fireball, where atop its flat roof the fireball landed, revealing the form of David Potter carrying the unconscious Felix Dubronte on his back. David strode over to the door to the stairs and kicked it open, descending the stairs into the warehouse, with the door shutting firmly behind him.

Opening the door at the bottom of the stairs revealed the spacious yet spartan manager's office, whose windows at the far end looked down onto the warehouse floor. David set Felix down in a chair and with a wave of his hand; ropes secured Felix's torso to the back of the chair and bound his feet together.

Slapping Felix's cheeks a few times to wake him up, David bent down in front of the stirring man.

"Time to wake up Felix," David taunted.

"Ugh…my head," Felix moaned in pain.

"Good morning to you too." David replied.

"Potter, ugh…I've got nothing to say to you so you might as well just end me." Felix spat.

"I'm sorry you feel that way Felix, I was hoping you would be in a chatting mood." David replied, "But I guess I'll have to show you my toys then."

David pushed Felix's chair up to the manager's desk, and then strode around to the other side taking the seat opposite the Belgian. David then withdrew his Walther P99 pistol and a tactical knife, setting both on the table.

"You see Felix, I'm not sure if word has gotten around your insane little cult, but I can make people tell me what I want to know in a variety of ways. You see, if I am in a good mood, I just give a little Veritaserum, the least invasive of my techniques. If I am in a somewhat foul mood, I utilize my legilimens skills, invasive and often leave some scarring in the mind if I get a bit careless. But, should I be in a real rotten mood," David stated, picking up the knife, "I use more corporal methods." David finished, twirling the knife in his hands.

"So Felix," David began, setting the knife down and picking up the Walther, "the choice is yours," he continued, dropping the magazine, "tell me what I want to know and you get a quick and pain-free trip to the next life." He continued as he took the top bullet out of the magazine, cocked back the slide, placed the bullet in the chamber, and released the slide, cocking the pistol in the process. "Or, I resort to more barbaric methods," David continued as he placed the gun on the desk and after summoning Felix's hand, palm resting on the desk, and touched the knife to each of his fingers.

"What'll it be Felix?" David asked of the Belgian, twisting the knife in his hands.

"Go to Hell," Felix spat.

"You first," David replied, and in one fluid motion, cut off the Belgian's remaining thumb.

"AHHHHH!" Felix screamed in pain as blood poured out of the place where his thumb used to be.

David sat back for nearly a minute before creating a flame in his hand and touched the flat part of the blade to it. After a few moments, the knife blade glowed orange and David touched the flat part of the blade to the wound to stop the bleeding.

"Can't have you bleed out on me Felix now can I?" David asked the Belgian rhetorically. "Tell me where the rest of the Death Eaters are hiding." David commanded.

"Shetland, a manor by the sea," Felix gasped out.

"When were you supposed to meet them?" David asked.

"No….I….." Felix stammered.

"Don't make me take another one off!" David barked at the Belgian, brandishing his knife.

"Please, no just wait…AHHHHHH!" Felix yelled as David cut off the man's index finger.

"DON'T FUCK WITH ME! TELL ME WHAT I WANT TO KNOW AND THIS ENDS!" David yelled at the Belgian.

"MIDNIGHT, MIDNIGHT ON THE FIFTH! I'M SUPPOSED TO TAKE THEM TO THE OLD MAN" Felix screamed out in agony, while David pressed the hot blade to the wound.

"How many are there?" David inquired.

"Half-dozen," Felix replied.

David laughed and lightly hit Felix on the cheek a few times with his palm. "See how easy it is when you cooperate Felix?" David said with a smile.

"You know something Potter," Felix gasped out, "You'll never get her back, and he knows you're growing weaker, all he has to do is wait you out."

"Is that so?" David asked unfazed by the man's comments.

"And even if you do find the castle, you'll never get in, not like you did last time." Felix continued in a raspy voice. "And even if you get inside, what makes you think you can defeat him, the man who couldn't even protect his own…"

The sound of the pistol echoed off the bare walls and Felix Dubronte slumped back into the chair dead from the bullet that struck him between his eyes.

"A prick until the end." David said to himself.

He rose from the chair, gathered his things and with a wave of his hand a fireball struck the corpse of Felix Dubronte, consuming it in flames, while David strode up the stairs and made his way up to the roof for his departure.

As he stood on the roof ready to flame out back to Hogsmeade, he felt a sharp pain beginning to crawl up his spine.

"Oh no," he whispered, and took off into the night sky, speeding for Scotland.

* * *

**The Burrow**

**Ottery St. Catchpole, Devon, UK**

**May 4, 1998 **

**07:30 GMT **

Felipe woke up in the hallway of the Burrow, seated with his back against the wall next to Ginny's bedroom. Blinking to adjust to the morning light entering the windows he propped himself up against the wall and felt for the doorknob. Once he was upright, he turned the handle and with a slight nudge of his shoulder, the door clicked open. Hearing movement from upstairs, he quickly entered Ginny's room, shut the door behind him and locked it along with placing a Silencing Charm with a few flicks of his wand.

He looked at the sleeping young couple and the sight brought a mild feeling of joy to his heart. They were in a spooning position with Harry's arms wrapped around Ginny's stomach where their hands met and were interlocked.

Clutching the envelope from David, Felipe pulled out the chair from Ginny's desk and sat down facing the couple, wondering if they would rise soon since the force preventing entry into the bedroom had lifted.

* * *

**The Hog's Head**

**Hogsmeade, Scotland**

**May 4, 1998 **

**05:00 GMT**

Harry awoke, dizzy from the spinning of the tornado on a cold stone floor in a darkened room. After rubbing his head in the hopes of trying to straighten out his sight he began to panic.

"Ginny!" He called out.

"Ohhhh, I'm here," He heard weakly from his right as he crawled alongside the wall to find his bondmate similarly trying to recover from their journey.

"Ginny, are you alright?" Harry asked with concern as he pulled her into his arms.

"Yeah, bit dizzy but alright, where are we?" Ginny inquired.

"Dunno," Harry replied, turning to look around the dark room to see if there was any clues that might help them discern where they were.

At that moment, they heard a door slam open, and bursts of flame lit the torches on the walls and a tall man staggered into the room yelling in agony.

Harry immediately recognized the figure, and knew that things were not as they seemed, for even in David's seemingly injured state he should have been able to clearly see Harry and Ginny, but instead acted as if they didn't exist.

"What's wrong with him, why can't he see us?" Ginny whispered to Harry.

"We're in his mind." Harry replied. It was the only explanation he could offer, and both turned to watch the scene unfold before him.

David staggered over to his desk and rummaged through the drawer before pulling out what appeared to be a potion flask. Spastically, David uncorked the glass flask and downed the entire potion in one gulp. He threw the flask across the room, the glass shattering on impact with the stone floor and David fell to the ground writhing clutching his head.

"AHHHHH MAKE IT STOP, MAKE IT STOP!" David cried out in pain as a sickly green glow surrounded the older Potter's body as he continued to lurch on the floor as if he was under the Cruciatus curse.

Harry desperately wanted to reach out and help his brother, but knew that there was nothing he could do except watch helplessly as whatever condition consumed him. He looked over at Ginny who had her left hand tightly holding Harry's right, while her right hand was covering her mouth.

After a few minutes, the green light dissipated and David ceased writhing but his breathing was deep and labored. He rolled onto his side and vomited. Struggling to get up off the floor, he staggered over to the desk and grabbed a small picture frame. He then proceeded to rip off all his clothes save for a pair of briefs and fell into the bed clutching the picture and began to sob.

"I'm sorry my angel, I'm so sorry, I failed you, I love you so much…." He continued to ramble between sobs before his breathing became steadier and it appeared that David Potter had fallen asleep.

Slowly the room began to fade, much like the end of a memory when viewing it Dumbledore's pensieve, and Harry took hold of Ginny in his arms as everything turned to white.

* * *

**The Burrow**

Harry and Ginny both awoke with a start as they recalled their wild journey over the past few hours of slumber. However, even though shaken by the night's events, a warmth filled them both as they woke up cuddled together.

"I could get used to waking up like this." Ginny said softly as she snuggled tighter into Harry's embrace.

"I would hope so; after all we are bonded for life." Harry said playfully, kissing the top of her head.

"I'm sorry; forgive me for interrupting but…" Felipe said as he stood up from the chair.

Ginny screamed, while Harry stared down the Spaniard, "Who the hell are you?"

"I'm sorry, I am Felipe, a close friend of your brother David, he sent me here to protect you, I'm not sure if you remember last night?" Felipe said to Harry.

"You were with my brother then, taking care of the attackers?" Harry inquired.

"Si, err yes," Felipe replied, "Your brother wanted me to give you this, and after you read it there is much for us to discuss." Felipe said to Harry as he handed him his brother's letter from the manila envelope.

Harry turned away from Ginny and tried to reach for the letter Felipe was holding out for him, when he felt a shock of pain run up his spine.

"Oww!" He and Ginny both cried out.

"Ay it is the bonding; you must be touching at all times for a while!" Felipe called out as Harry instinctively reached out and grabbed Ginny's arm, ceasing the shocks.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked Ginny.

"Yeah, but let's not do that again." She turned to face him.

"Yes you both must be in constant contact until the bonding completes." Felipe said to the couple.

"Constant contact?" Ginny said with a grin, "I like the sound of that"

Harry chuckled, grabbed the letter with his free hand, breaking open the wax seal, and took the paper out of the envelope. He opened the folded pages and began to read his brother's neatly composed script.

_Dear Harry,_

_As I am writing this, Voldemort has been dead for several hours and you succeeded in bringing down the Dark Lord. Even though you had no knowledge of my existence until most likely very recently, I always had faith that not only would you win, but that we would one day be able to reunite. I hope and pray that day will one day come in a peaceful time, but I am afraid that may not come to pass. Forgive me for being a spy but I want to congratulate you on getting back together with Ginny Weasley. I could not have been happier when I spotted you two sitting by the Black Lake in a somewhat compromising position. She is a powerful, smart, and dare I say beautiful witch, probably one of the few who could stand fast with a Potter. _

_Harry there is so much I want to tell you, so much that you need to know about me, but I am afraid that this is not the right venue for such a discussion. I am not sure if you have come across anything unusual since the downfall of Voldemort, but I have reason to believe that now that the horcrux is gone from your body, we can begin to feel each other's presences both physically and mentally. Thus, affording us a connection not much unlike the one you previously had with the aforementioned Dark Lord. _

_All I can tell you at present is that I am on a mission of my own, to save someone who is as special to me as Ginny is to you. It is a dangerous mission, perhaps even more dangerous than your mission against Voldemort, but one that I might not make it out of alive. I apologize for all of this grave talk, but it is the truth and after so many lies and half-truths that have been forced upon us for our lives the least thing we can do is be honest with each other. _

_In the spirit of that honesty Harry, we have met before although I was in a different body than my own. At other times, I was keeping a watchful eye on you, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley during your travels last fall and winter, doing my best to protect you all from harm. Many days I wanted to come up to your encampment, break through the wards, and be with you. Alas, much in the same way, you willingly gave yourself to die at Voldemort's hand; I could not succumb to my own selfish motivations to risk the loss of my cover. That cover broke our mother and father's hearts and ultimately led me to be raised in the United States and not knowing I had a brother until sometime later in my life. _

_You are blessed with an incredible amount of magic Harry, magic that could not be accessed until after Voldemort's soul was exterminated from your body. Coupled with the bond you are most certainly going to make with Ginny, you will have tremendous power that you will need to learn how to control and use. You both will undoubtedly bear this challenge together and come out even stronger than you possibly could imagine. _

_I know you well enough Harry that you will want to accompany me on my mission and I would be a fool to try to convince you not to, since it is in your blood to defeat evildoers. I leave it up to you with the only requisites being you are fully trained to not only use your magic, but also operate in the field, and that you and Ginny both understand what this means. If my theory is correct, by now you both should be feeling the effects of the bond taking shape and have been no doubt informed of its implications by Merlin. You both are partners for the rest of your lives, what happens to one will affect the other, a concept I learned about the hard way and hence why I find myself staring down Death every day._

_I have sent my two closest friends, Adam Duritz and Felipe Bourbon (Crown Prince of Spain), to help you. I trust these men with my life and they will be of great help to you and Ginny along the way. Before you can embark on your training however there are some things that you need to take care of. A trip to Gringotts as soon as possible is a necessity, and you must speak with the Chief Goblin Gormuk_ _(I smoothed over your break-in so you should not have any problems). _

_From there if you wish to join in my mission, you must go to Boston in the United States where you can begin your training. Remember the choice is yours, and I would never dream of thinking any less of you should you elect to sit this battle out. I am not asking you to join me, but I will not refuse your help should you wish to give it. _

_In the coming days I will attempt to contact you and we can have a more personal discussion. Never forget that I love you my brother, and that you are one of the most important things in my life. I hope we can one day have a life together that is not fraught with danger and evil around every twist and turn. Stay well and I will always be with you._

_Love Always,_

_David Sirius Potter_

Harry read his brother's letter twice before handing it to Ginny. He placed his head on Ginny's shoulder and began to let the tears fall from his eyes. After a few moments, Ginny wrapped her arms around Harry and pulled him into her placing soft kisses on his neck as he cried.

"Why Ginny, why can't I have my family?" Harry choked out between sobs.

"I know Harry, but we have to be strong, David needs our help, and if he succeeds in doing whatever he needs to do, then you both can be together." Ginny said softly, gazing into his red and tear stained emerald eyes.

His breathing became more steady and he looked into Ginny's dark brown eyes, losing himself in their beauty and finding an inner calmness enter him through his and Ginny's interlocked hands. After a few moments, he released his right hand from hers, pushed a stray lock of her red hair behind her ear, and cupped his hand against her cheek.

"There's so much I don't know about him Ginny, and it's not fair, I'll do whatever I can to help him if that means he can come home." Harry said resolutely.

"And I'll be at your side all the way Harry," Ginny replied softly, leaning forward as the couple shared a chaste kiss.

They both turned around towards the Spanish Prince who had his back to them and was looking out the window, doing his best to give the couple a moment of privacy.

"So, Felipe, err Your Highness…" Harry said to the Spaniard, who at the mention of the word Highness, tensed up.

"Please, I insist you call me Felipe, " the Spaniard replied with a smile as he turned around and took a seat in the chair and pulled it closer to the bed.

"We want to help my brother in whatever it is that he is doing." Harry stated with a nod from Ginny.

"I will not waste any of our time trying to dissuade you from your decision. Very well, then we must go to Gringotts today." Felipe replied.

"I reckon we'll have to do a bit of shopping in Diagon Alley, I haven't much to wear." Harry thought aloud, to which Ginny chuckled.

"Tell me, do you both have any idea what has happened to you over the past few hours?" Felipe asked of the couple.

"Yes, while we were asleep, Merlin was in one of our 'dreams,' and told us about the bond." Ginny recounted, to a nodding Felipe.

"Hmmm, you said 'dreams?' What else did you dream about?" Felipe asked, to a now paling Harry and Ginny.

"We, errr, saw David and he didn't….well." Harry stammered.

"You saw him, did he appear to be in pain?" Felipe asked.

"He was in agony, and a green light seemed to cover him." Ginny replied.

"Ay Dios Mio, it is getting worse." Felipe said aloud to himself.

"What's getting worse?" Harry asked, concerned.

"Well Adam knows better than me, but all I know is that his magic is failing and it is only a matter of time before his core is depleted and he…err…dies."

Harry was overcome with a multitude of emotions, fear, anger, grief, and was left speechless, grasping Ginny's hand tighter and feeling a wave of comfort enter him though her touch. He took a deep breath and gazed at his bondmate, a look of gratitude in his eyes.

"And his mission is to stop whatever it is that is draining his magic?" Ginny guessed.

"In a sense, the group that attacked last night, the man who heads it is a powerful sorcerer, even more powerful than Voldemort, well…."Felipe trailed off.

"He got to her didn't he?" Harry asked.

"What do you mean Harry?" Ginny asked of her bondmate.

"Think about it Ginny, the paragraph in David's letter when he was talking about our bond, he knew an awful lot about it, as if he had experienced it before. And the line when he talks about "what happens to one will happen to the other," he's bonded to someone and this group must have her." Harry reasoned.

"You are more or less right Harry." Felipe replied tersely, "Even though there was nothing he could have done, David not only blames himself, but has to be reminded of it when he overuses his magic, the pain must be unimaginable."

Instinctively, Harry wrapped his other arm around Ginny and held her close.

'_I'm here Harry, I'm never leaving you' _Harry heard Ginny's voice sound inside his head and both opened their mouths in shock.

"I can hear you…" Harry stammered.

"The Bond will present many gifts to you both, in time you will both learn how to use them." Felipe said to the couple, "I will take my leave , and I will see you both later." Felipe said to the couple, bowed, and after placing the chair back in its place under the desk, he exited Ginny's room.

After a few moments, Ginny broke the silence.

"Harry, there were some things in the letter that David mentioned…" She began and Harry knew exactly what parts she was referring.

"Ginny I promise you tonight I will tell you everything about last year later today when we get back from Gringotts and whatever else we need to do in Diagon Alley.

"Ok Harry," Ginny replied with a nod.

"Guess we're going to have to face the music." Harry replied morosely.

"Oh so the great Harry Potter is afraid of my brothers' reactions to our bond, is he?" Ginny asked with a sarcastic grin.

"Well….yeah, I mean there are six of them!" Harry replied incredulously.

"Lucky for you that you have a powerful witch at your side," Ginny remarked playfully.

"Not only powerful but apparently smart and beautiful if my brother is to be believed." Harry remarked, earning him a glare from Ginny.

"I'll make you pay for that little wisecrack," Ginny said slyly.

"Oh yeah? Well not if I get you first!" Harry replied as he began to tickle Ginny.

"HARRY!" Ginny screamed, before they both starting giggling and playfully rolling about atop Ginny's bed. After a few minutes, Harry found himself lying on top of Ginny with his hands on Ginny's exposed midriff.

In one fluid motion, Ginny wrapped her arms around Harry's neck and pulled him in for a searing kiss while his hands started to roam under Ginny's tank top. Just as his hands were nearing Ginny's breasts, they heard a sharp knock at the door.

"Harry, Ginny, are you awake?" The voice of Hermione Granger sounded from the hall.

"I'm going to kill her." Ginny stated angrily.

* * *

A/N: So wow another chapter in the books. Sorry for the delay, but my summer studies and work have been quite hectic. I have a two-week reprieve before I head over to Spain but I hope I can put out another chapter within the next month. As you can start to see in this chapter, David isn't so perfect after all, with a bit of a dark side and some personal issues of his own. I assure you Harry and Ginny's bond will develop over time and that there will be a combination of answers and new questions in every chapter. Thanks for sticking with me guys, and believe me if I had it my way I could generate chapters at a much faster pace . By the way I saw the final movie the other night and while I enjoyed it, I hated the way Ginny was incorporated, it seemed like every scene that had her in seemed forced and not genuine. She's one of my favorite characters and it's a shame that she didn't get a bit more development in the films, but alas there is only so much screen time that can go around I suppose. Please review and provide feedback, I'm relatively new at this and would always love to get some constructive critique.


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